Ghana has lost over GHC100m since UNIPASS rollout – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has warned Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen over the troubled Unipass system claiming the country has lost over 100 million cedis since the rollout of the new system

The group has cautioned the Minister against getting himself entangled in what it describes as Unipass mess at the country’s ports.

Managers of Ghana’s port have reverted to the manual clearing of goods following the challenges associated with the deployment of the Unipass system to replace existing GCNET and West Blue systems.

Addressing the media in Parliament a Minority Member on the Trades Committee of Parliament, Isaac Adongo disclosed the country has lost over 100 million cedis owing to disruptions at the ports so far.

The Bolgatanga Central MP attributed the decision to do away with existing systems by government to the personal interests of some government officials.

UNIPASS is a new port clearing system that processes documents and payments through one window. It is a departure from the previous system in which ‘valuation and classification’ and ‘risk management and payment’ were handled by different entities.

The single window system is aimed at coordinating all activities at the ports on one platform to reduce time and cost in clearing and exporting goods.

The system, spearheaded by Ghana Link Services Ltd, in collaboration with Customs UNIPASS International Agency (CUPIA) of the Korean Customs Service, the designer of the system, replaces the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAARS) and the Ghana Customs Management System (GCMS) jointly operated by the Customs Division, the Ghana Community Network Services (GCNet) Ltd and West Blue Consulting. Read Full Story