Ghana gov’t bans land transit of rice, sugar, frozen foods, Textiles, others 

By
Makay
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Ato Forson

The Government of Ghana, through the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has announced a ban on land transit of several imported goods.

According to Ato Forson, the goods must now be routed exclusively through Ghana’s seaports, adding that they will no longer be permitted to enter or transit through Ghana via land borders.

Ato Forson further disclosed that the recentralisation of the Customs Technical Services Bureau (CTSB) will establish a one-stop shop for valuation and strengthen intelligence.

The finance minister stressed that the measures are moves intended to strengthen border controls, close revenue leakages, and safeguard government revenue.

In a post shared by Ato Forson on X, he wrote, “Earlier today, I met with the Acting Commissioner of Customs, Mr Aaron Akanor, and the management of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to discuss the recent developments at our borders and to take decisive steps to protect Ghana’s revenue.

Following this meeting, I have directed the Ghana Revenue Authority to immediately implement the following measures”.

Ato Forson further listed the affected goods in his post, “First, I have directed a ban on the land transit of selected products. The affected goods are:

 1. Cooking oil

 2. Rice

 3. Sugar

 4. Frozen products

 5. Textiles

 6. Flour

 7. Canned tomatoes

 8. Pasta / Spaghetti

 9. Pharmaceutical products”.

The finance minister further added, “These goods must now be routed exclusively through Ghana’s seaports and will no longer be permitted to enter or transit through Ghana via land borders.

I have also directed the recentralisation of the Customs Technical Services Bureau (CTSB). This will establish a one-stop shop for valuation and strengthen intelligence sharing, including insights generated through the Publican AI system.

These measures are intended to strengthen border controls, close revenue leakages, and safeguard government revenue.

Accordingly, I have directed all relevant departments and units within the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to ensure strict compliance with these directives”.

The development follows, the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), acting through its Customs Division, intercepted the trucks and confirmed that they were carrying assorted consumer goods, including cooking oil, spaghetti, and tomato paste.

The information gathered suggests the trucks had reportedly been declared for transit to Niger; however, they were suspected to have been diverted for sale within the local market.

Also, the vehicles were allegedly moving without the mandatory customs human escort, which breaches the established transit procedures.

The shipments are projected to represent potential lost revenue of GH¢85.3 million, with an initial estimation set at GH¢2.62 million.

A statement issued by the Public Relations Unit of the Ministry of Finance stated, “Initial suspended duties and taxes were assessed at GH¢2,619,748.81. However, post-interception examinations uncovered material discrepancies in declared unit values, tariff classifications, and weights.”

“These irregularities significantly understated the tax liability, and the suspended revenue exposure has been revised to GH¢85,306,578.33,” the statement said.

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