Ghana’s customs house agents have been told they must restructure their businesses around round-the-clock operations if the country is to convert its African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) positioning into actual trade gains, as government outlined an ambitious multimodal logistics plan at the profession’s biggest annual gathering.
Presidential Adviser on the 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development, Goosie Tanoh, used the 5th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association of Customs House Agents, Ghana (ACHAG), held at the Royal Senchi Hotel in Akosombo on Saturday, to detail the government’s CONNECT24 initiative, a programme designed to link farms, industrial parks, aggregation centres, ports and airports into a single integrated logistics network. He identified the Volta Economic Corridor and the development of Tamale as a regional air cargo hub as two of the key infrastructure pillars that will carry the strategy forward.
The ambition is significant. But Mr. Tanoh acknowledged, as he did at a separate World Bank Business Ready assessment session last month, that strong policy frameworks alone are insufficient. Port clearance timelines currently leave Ghana trailing regional competitors, and weak operational efficiency in the private sector itself remains a constraint the CONNECT24 agenda cannot bypass.
At the Akosombo gathering, he pressed ACHAG members directly on that gap, warning that customs house agents who abuse the transit regime, undervalue goods, or misclassify cargo are not peripheral bad actors but active threats to the broader logistics agenda. He urged ACHAG’s leadership to sanction or expel members found engaged in fraudulent practices, arguing that professional self-regulation is as important as government enforcement.
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Director-General, Major General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono, reinforced that message through a representative, setting out four specific priorities for agents operating under the 24-hour model: consistent round-the-clock service, adoption of digital tools, continuous professional development and strict ethical compliance. He framed these not as aspirational targets but as minimum requirements for agents who expect to participate in the trade volumes the 24-hour economy is designed to attract.
On the regulatory side, Mr. Tanoh pointed to the ongoing integration of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and other agencies onto the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) as the infrastructure that will close the gaps currently exploited for abuse. He described the planned one-stop-shop clearing regime as a transparency mechanism that limits discretion at each agency interface, reducing opportunities for misclassification and undervaluation to take root.
Outgoing ACHAG President Akwasi Serebour Boateng told members they should see the transition not as an operational burden but as a commercial opportunity. More cargo, more declarations and more clients, he said, would follow as Ghana advances its position as a West African trade gateway. He also highlighted AfCFTA training programmes completed by members during the year as preparation for the continental rules of origin, tariff schedules and logistics standards that agents will need to navigate.
The gathering drew solidarity messages from GPHA, the Ghana Shippers Authority, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Ghana Standards Authority (GSA), all of which noted the profession’s role in revenue mobilisation and compliance.
The event coincided with President John Dramani Mahama’s appointment of Aaron Kanor as Acting Commissioner of the Customs Division of GRA, a leadership transition that takes effect as the division faces intensifying pressure to close revenue shortfalls and implement the ICUMS expansion.
