Vice Chairman of the Japan branch of the governing New Patriotic Party, (NPP) Mr. Michael Awuah has added his voice by calling on Ghanaians to support the implementation of the Uni-Pass by the country’s revenue collector, Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The NPP vice Chair made the call on the assertion that the country is developing at a faster pace and it’s rated among the world fastest growing economy, and to him it was no surprise the trade volume too has increased.
Reports from Ghana Shippers Authority, according to Mr. Michael Awuah, who is also expert in shipping said there is an indication that the country recorded 42% increase export trade volumes within the first six months of 2019 as compared to the previous year, 2018.
“Due to the industrialization drive of the NPP government imports for the same period decreased by 11.3% compared to 2018 indicating that Ghanaian industries are on the rise of producing and exporting Ghana made items”, he noted.
Mr. Awuah in a telephone interview commended the government of Ghana, Ghana Revenue Authority and Korean customs for cultivating the idea of bringing on board an electronic customs clearance system called Uni-Pass into the Ghanaian shipping industry.
In Ghana, the system is being fronted by Ghana Link Service Ltd with the Customs Uni-Pass International Agency (CUPIA) of the Korean Customs Service.
This system computerizes customs procedures and provides for the automation of the clearance process, as a solution to overcome the increase in trade volume and travelers, given the limited resources available.
Mr. Awuah, a Ghanaian resident in Japan called on all shippers to rally behind this new system because the Uni-Pass was not developed overnight, it was done through numerous trials and errors as opposed to claims made by IMANI Ghana that the Uni-Pass is untested port evaluation system.
“And today, the result of years of experience and of the high level of know-how the Korean customs electronically process 430 million and 50 million travelers per year.” he indicated.
He said Ghana stands to gain a lot from this partnership with a system that comes with a single-window system, a clearance management system, a cargo management system, an information management system, and an administration system.
Mr. Awuah was full of praise for Ghana because Uni-Pass will provide a comprehensive national single window platform resulting in more revenue for the country.
“The coming of Uni-Pass will also lead to a reduction of some port charges from 1% on a consignment of imported items to 0.75% on the same quantity of goods as explained by the deputy minister of Trade and Industry.” he expressed.
He said, unlike the GCNET which is about 60% of foreign interest, this agreement which is being piloted is a government to government agreement and it is well acknowledged by the WTO, WCO, WORLD Bank, amongst others; as one of the best Customs Systems in the world.
