The land transit of some key consumer imports including rice, sugar, cooking oil and textiles have been banned as authorities tighten border controls in a bid to curb smuggling and protect government revenue.
Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson directed the Ghana Revenue Authority to immediately stop the movement of the listed goods through land borders, requiring that they enter the country only through seaports where customs oversight is stronger.
The restricted products include cooking oil, rice, sugar, frozen foods, textiles, flour, canned tomatoes, pasta and spaghetti, and pharmaceutical products. In February, authorities made an interception of 44,055 packages of edible cooking oil, tomato paste and spaghetti which were part of an attempt to evade taxes. Officials estimate the tax component on the seized shipment exceeds GH¢85 million.
The decision points to a broader push by government to clamp down on revenue leakages within the import system, particularly along land corridors.
By forcing the affected goods through seaports, customs authorities will be expected and able to apply stricter valuation checks, cargo scanning and documentation requirements, significantly reducing opportunities for smuggling and tax evasion.
Dr. Forson issued the directive after meeting the Acting Commissioner of Customs Aaron Akanor and senior management of the Customs Division to review developments at Ghana’s borders.
The finance minister also ordered the recentralisation of the Customs Technical Services Bureau, which is responsible for customs valuation. The reform will create a single valuation centre and improve intelligence coordination across customs units. The system will incorporate insights generated by the Publican AI system to detect suspicious import pricing and documentation.
The measures are expected to affect regional transit trade moving through Ghana’s northern land borders, particularly goods destined for neighbouring West African markets .The policy is hiwever necessary to protect government revenue at a time when Ghana is intensifying domestic tax mobilisation to support fiscal recovery. Dr. Forson noted that all departments within the Customs Division have been instructed to ensure strict compliance with the new directive.
