The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced plans to roll out an Advance Cargo Information (ACI) system by the end of 2025 as part of its broader digitalisation agenda to strengthen tax compliance and revenue mobilisation.
Commissioner-General Anthony Sarpong disclosed the initiative at the 2025 Annual International Tax Conference, noting that the new system will replicate the recently launched Advance Passenger Information (API) platform introduced in the aviation sector.
“If you travelled, for example, with one bag and you are coming with five bags, before your flight takes off from where it is coming from to Ghana, we will know. If you have goods coming in, you properly disclose and pay the rightful tax,” Sarpong explained.
“Before end of the year, we are going to implement the advance cargo information. This is a replica of the advance passenger information for the sea port.” He added.
The ACI system will enable the GRA to monitor cargo movements in real time, detect under-declaration of goods, and ensure that the appropriate duties are paid at Ghana’s ports. Officials say the system is designed to plug revenue leakages, minimise smuggling, and improve efficiency in cargo clearance.
Speaking on behalf of the Finance Minister, Deputy Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem stressed government’s commitment to consolidating macroeconomic gains through prudent fiscal management.
“The government of President John Dramani Mahama is charting Ghana’s transformation path through interconnected interventions. Having inherited an economy that had ledged from crisis to crisis, government has focused on restoring macroeconomic stability. This is expected to underpin the eventual transformation of the economy,” Ampem said.
President of the Chartered Institute of Taxation, Ghana, George Ohene Kwatia, welcomed the reforms, urging that fairness and simplicity must remain central to Ghana’s evolving tax system.
“We must design tax systems that are simple, transparent and fair. We must embrace digital tools that make compliance easier and enforcement smarter. We must strengthen partnership between policy makers, administrators and practitioners,” he remarked.
The GRA is optimistic that a successful rollout of the ACI could mark a turning point in revenue administration, positioning Ghana as a regional leader in the use of digital tools for trade facilitation and tax compliance.
