Freight forwarders declare strike over port valuation dispute
A coalition of freight forwarders, traders and industry associations has announced a three-day nationwide strike across Ghana’s ports and entry points, citing unresolved operational challenges linked to the implementation of the Publican AI valuation system.
The three-day strike, starting today, Tuesday, April 14,2026, is expected to take place across all ports and entry points, during which no duty payments or clearance processes are expected to occur.
The group outlined several non-negotiable conditions for resolving the impasse, including the establishment of a high-level, legally mandated trade governance body to coordinate policy and enforcement across relevant ministries and agencies.
Other demands are the implementation of a transparent and digital appeals system, the issuance of comprehensive operational guidelines for the AI system, a clearly defined valuation framework for used goods and a review of transit trade restrictions.
The decision follows two weeks of growing tension at the Tema Port after the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) issued a directive on March 10, 2026, mandating the use of the AI-driven system, Publican, to guide customs officers in the classification and valuation of goods.
The system so far flags Bills of Entry entered into the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) that are below the global average of the same goods from the same sets of suppliers to any part of the world and not only Ghana.
The system, which draws on data entered in international trade platforms around the world, has helped customs to determine products whose source prices are below the true price, thereby generating some misunderstanding between importers and the GRA.
The coalition said although a subsequent directive dated March 16 repositioned the system as a decision-support and risk analysis tool, restoring the primacy of statutory valuation methods under Act 891 and World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, the members of the coalition argued that the lack of operational clarity had deepened challenges at the ports.
Disappointment
Speaking to the media yesterday, a member of the coalition and General Secretary of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, General Paul K. Mensah, expressed disappointment over a high-level meeting with the Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, on April 1, this year, which he said failed to deliver immediate or practical solutions to the ongoing disruptions.
He said conditions at the ports continued to deteriorate, marked by persistent valuation delays, excessive and unsustainable duty assessments and a growing backlog of uncleared cargo, leading to increased demurrage costs.
The coalition highlighted critical technical and operational gaps within the current system.
“These included the absence of clear standard operating procedures to guide the relationship between AI-generated values and officer discretion, as well as a lack of defined timelines for processing valuations and resolving disputes,” Mr Mensah stated.
The group also raised concerns about the absence of a functional appeals system, stressing that although a Secretariat had been referenced, there were no published procedures, digital platforms or timelines for handling appeals, forcing traders to rely on informal and often inefficient channels.
Ministry’s response
The Ministry of Finance has explained that the system was a risk management tool that would guide customs officers to do valuation and classification.
It indicated that since its deployment, the AI system had endorsed 75.3 per cent of all declarations made to customs, and flagged 24.7 per cent as being below the accepted values that pertained to those goods globally.
The Finance Ministry and GRA said the appeals system had not been scrapped, but would now be handled by a committee and not an individual, explaining that since bill of entry were inputed weeks before vessels arrived, disputes could be resolved way ahead to pave the way for smooth clearance of consignments.
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