All transactions related to the import and export of goods at the country’s various ports will effective today, Monday, June 1, 2020, be conducted through the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS).
The newly deployed ICUMS follows the successful simulation and piloting of the system at all the nation’s entry points for over a month now.
ICUMS replaces the Ghana Customs Management Systems (GCMS) – a multiplicity vendor system where ‘valuation and classification’ as well as ‘risk management and payment’ were handled by different entities – previously operated by the Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) and West Blue Consulting.
According to a statement issued by the Ghana Revenue Authority in late April, 2020, the decision to discontinue the services of GCNet and West Blue was informed by the need for a single window service provider deploying an end-to-end system.
Starting today, all new Bill of Entry (BoE) for import, export and transit will have to be processed through the ICUMS. Freight forwarders who still have existing transactions for which processing has not been completed in the previous GCMS prior to the takeover shall have them processed through the ICUMS.
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The Ministry of Trade and Industry in March 2018 signed a contract with Ghana Link Network Services Limited in collaboration with Customs UNI-PASS International Agency of Korea Customs Services to introduce the UNI-PASS system now named ICUMS in Ghana for a period of 10 years at a cost of $40 million.
UNI-PASS/ICUMS is an all-in-one customs management solution specially tailored for the port needs of Ghana. It is a modern and world class technology acknowledged by international bodies such as the World Trade Organisation and the World Customs Organisations to facilitate trade, ensure end-to-end supply chain security and increase revenue.
It has been acclaimed as one of the best innovative trade facilitation systems and has been successfully deployed in African countries like Tanzania under the name Tancis, South America and Asia.