The Chairman of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICMS) Implementation Task Force Team, Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Mr Emmanuel Ohene, has said that the initial challenges that bedeviled the Unipass CUPIA system was occasioned by a lack appreciation of how the system worked.
“We had multiple stakeholders in the chain and in some instances, some of the stakeholders’ appreciation of the process was not very clear even though they have been given training. But we had to accommodate that simply because it was a new system that we were introducing and so we were not averse to the fact that these challenges would occur along the way”, he said.
He explained that the most difficult aspect of the challenge as faced by the Freight Forwarders and Importers had to do with the issues of valuation and classification. This came about moment after the lifting of the lockdown.
“There are others too that have come about because of some misunderstanding about the new process”, he said while speaking on the “Upfront” show on the Joy News Channel, on, May 7th, 2020.
UNIPASS CUPIA implementation challenges
Unipass CUPIA was introduced by the government to replace the single window platform of the ICMS from GCNet and West Blue Consult, at the ports.
The new system was introduced to provide swift customs clearance, seal the leaking revenue basket and facilitate trade at the country’s ports.
However, prior to its introduction, a number of stakeholders in the industry as well as some civil society groups, raised issues with the deal.
ALSO READ: Ghana Gov’t urged to suspend UNIPASS operations till end of 2020- Franklin Cudjoe
Some months ago, the Importers and Clearing agents in Ghana registered their disapproval at Government’s decision to hand over single window port operations to Ghana Link and its overseas partner, CUPIA Korea.
They further warned that this decision will cause serious problems for government and all players within the sector, arguing that the Unipass CUPIA system is untested and therefore cannot run single window at the ports.
Consequently, they requested government to withdraw the letter with immediate effect.
Similarly, President of Imani Africa, Franklin Cudjoe, a few weeks ago, urged government to “temporarily suspend” the operations of Unipass and allow GCnet and West Blue to continue operating at the port till the end 2020.
He contended that, allowing GCnet and West Blue to carry on with their work will enable the country to plug revenue gaps occasioned by the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Temporarily suspend operations of Unipass and allow GCNeT and West Blue to operate for the remainder of the year in order to assure the nation of revenues, most likely GHS10 billion given depressed trade activity due to Covid-19,” he suggests in an open letter to President Nana Akufo-Addo.
But despite all of the above complaints and warnings, government went ahead to commence implementation of the UNIPASS system on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, amid some challenges.
Accordingly, the Freight Forwarders at the Tema Port grew impatient and agitated because of their inability to pass declaration to get their goods out of the port following the implementation of the Unipass CUPIA system yesterday.
At a point, the Ghana Revenue Authority had to write to the GCnet, appealing to them to restore their systems following the challenges witnessed at the ports with the new Unipass CUPIA system.
Challenges addressed
This notwithstanding, Mr Ohene says many of the challenges of the new system have been addressed amid few pending issues.
“We encountered some of the challenges that have been mentioned right from the onset, but as it was being rolled out we were able to address them in a timeous manner”, he said.
He added that in Takoradi, for instance, where most of the challenges were recorded, they found out that the issues did not emanate from the system.
“…in order to address [the challenges], we now had to deploy more officers, provide them with the tools they need to work from home in order to lessen the burden that importers were going through with complaints about at the technical services bureau”, he further explained.
Freight Forwarders picket
However shortly after the Chairman of the Task Force Team had finished his submissions with the television station, news broke that some Freight Forwarders in Takoradi had picketed at the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority offices in Takoradi to demand the suspension of Unipass CUPIA which they say has been problematic for their operations.
According to them, they raised several issues with the Unipass CUPIA throughout the training and piloting of the system a month ago in Takoradi. The problems were not addressed leading to its suspension after it was extended to Tema.
By Salifu B.B. Moro
