The Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association, Sampson Awingobit, has described calls to suspend the Publican AI system at Ghana’s ports as premature, urging stakeholders to pursue dialogue with government authorities instead.
Speaking on The Pulse on JoyNews on Monday, 13 April, Mr Awingobit stated that concerns raised by some freight forwarders and members of the Ghana Union of Traders Association should be addressed through consultation rather than demands to halt port operations.
“I think that calling for the suspension of the product is premature. If there are issues, let’s go to the table,” he said.
His remarks follow threats by sections of the trading community to disrupt activities at the ports over claims that the AI-powered valuation system is increasing the cost of imported goods.
However, Mr Awingobit argued that the system is instead correcting long-standing discrepancies in the declaration of goods. “It’s because the AI is now picking the real values,” he explained.
Illustrating his point, he noted that differences in declared values have historically created unfair advantages among importers. According to him, the system is designed to detect under-declaration and enforce more accurate pricing.
“If it’s within the expected range, the system will not increase yours. It will rather block mine if I under-declare because the system knows the realistic price band,” he stated.
He maintained that the introduction of the Publican AI system is intended to promote fairness and restore order within the import sector. “What it means is that there’s no parity, and so this will bring sanity into the industry,” he added.
Mr Awingobit also urged importers to comply with regulations and continue clearing their goods, cautioning against any attempts to disrupt port operations. He emphasised that compliant traders should not incur losses due to ongoing disagreements.
“Those who are compliant should be given the opportunity to clear their cargo and not allow it to sit at the port and incur demurrage because of this situation,” he said.
While acknowledging that concerns have been formally presented to government authorities, he welcomed ongoing engagement efforts, noting that the relevant minister has expressed readiness to meet stakeholders.
He further called for a balanced assessment of government efforts to support the business community, citing recent tax relief measures—including the removal of the COVID-19 levy and the Electronic Levy (E-Levy), as well as adjustments to other tax policies—as evidence of responsiveness to stakeholder concerns.
