The Joint Business Forum has firmly rejected reports that the ongoing industrial action at Ghana’s ports has been called off, insisting the strike remains fully active and will continue until the government delivers concrete responses to concerns over the Publican Digital Inspection Solution, the artificial intelligence (AI) customs valuation system at the centre of the dispute.
In a statement signed by Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations (GUTA) President Clement Boateng, the Forum described circulation of claims that the strike had been suspended as “misleading” and urged the public and all port stakeholders to disregard them.
“The strike action which commenced on Monday, 13th April, 2026, remains in full force. Freight forwarders and clearing agents have ceased payment of duties and laid down their tools as earlier directed. Operations at the ports remain suspended,” the statement said.
The clarification follows a communication from the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) indicating that the planned escalation of the action had been paused following stakeholder engagement. The Forum drew a sharp distinction between halting further escalation and ending the core strike, confirming it agreed to hold back additional measures out of respect for an appeal by GSA Chief Executive Officer Ransford Gyampo, but that this does not affect the withdrawal of services already underway.
The dispute is rooted in the Ghana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) March 10, 2026 directive mandating use of the Publican AI system as the basis for cargo classification and valuation at ports. The system flags bills of entry that fall below the global average price for similar goods, drawing on data from international trade platforms. A subsequent directive on March 16 repositioned it as a decision-support tool, restoring the primacy of statutory valuation methods under Act 891 and World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, but industry players say implementation irregularities persist.
The Forum’s member bodies, which include the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIIFF), the Association of Custom House Agents Ghana (ACHAG), the Customs Brokers Association, the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana, and the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), cite unpredictable and excessive duty assessments, prolonged clearance delays, mounting demurrage costs, and the absence of a functional appeals mechanism as unsustainable.
The picture on the ground, however, is not uniform. A visit to the revenue pay point at the Long Room within Tema Port showed business activity slower than usual, but some transactions were still being processed, with some freight forwarders opting to continue clearing goods on the instructions of their clients. One clearing agent explained that shipping lines do not suspend demurrage charges during strikes, leaving importers facing mounting costs regardless of the action.
An emergency meeting between the Forum and stakeholders is scheduled for today, Thursday, April 16, 2026, but the group has made clear that dialogue without tangible outcomes will not be enough to end the action.
The Ministry of Finance has defended the system, stating that since its deployment, it has endorsed 75.3 percent of all customs declarations while flagging 24.7 percent as below globally accepted values. It maintains the system improves transparency and reduces revenue leakage. The Forum counters that transparency cannot come at the cost of predictability and legal compliance.
