The Ministry of Trade, Agribusiness and Industry is demanding urgent improvements to Ghana’s Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) following rising frustration among trade stakeholders over persistent technical glitches and operational bottlenecks.
At a high-stakes forum in Accra on Monday, Trade Minister Hon. Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare called on Ghana Link, the company managing ICUMS, to address long-standing system failures that have disrupted customs operations and undermined business confidence at Ghana’s ports.
“While ICUMS has made notable contributions to revenue collection and transparency, the operational challenges cannot be ignored. We expect Ghana Link to meet the agreed deadline and deliver a system that works — consistently,” the Minister stated.
The platform, launched in 2020 to digitize and streamline customs procedures, has recently come under scrutiny from freight forwarders, importers, and exporters over frequent downtimes, delayed clearances, and unexplained penalties — all of which stakeholders say are hurting trade efficiency and increasing the cost of doing business.
Ghana Link Promises Overhaul by October End
Responding to the criticism, Raymond Amaglo, Director of Operations at Ghana Link, acknowledged the issues and revealed that a comprehensive system upgrade is underway. He promised that by end of October 2025, the ICUMS platform would see significant improvements in stability, speed, and system capacity.
“We are fully aware of the disruptions and are working round the clock to enhance the reliability of the platform. Our mission is to make ICUMS a seamless trade facilitation system while optimizing government revenue,” Amaglo said.
Private Sector Demands Accountability
The stakeholder forum brought together officials from the Customs Division of the GRA, Ministry of Finance, shipping agencies, and private sector actors — many of whom expressed growing dissatisfaction with how ICUMS-related issues have been handled.
Several freight forwarding representatives called for greater transparency in system operations, including the elimination of arbitrary charges and penalties, which they say are often imposed without clear justification.
Minister Ofosu-Adjare pledged to work closely with the Finance Ministry to investigate these claims and ensure fair treatment of traders, particularly small and medium-sized importers who bear the brunt of inefficiencies.
ICUMS: Gains and Growing Pains
ICUMS was introduced to unify customs processes under a single-window platform, consolidating functions such as valuation, classification, risk management, and payment. The system has since contributed to increased revenue collection and reduced human contact, a key step in tackling corruption at the ports.
However, its performance has been inconsistent, with multiple disruptions over the last two years raising questions about the system’s robustness and the capacity of the service provider to maintain operational excellence.
With Ghana’s trade volumes expanding — especially under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) — the need for efficient customs processing is more critical than ever.
“A functional ICUMS is not optional. It is essential to Ghana’s trade competitiveness and investment climate,” Ofosu-Adjare stressed, adding that the government would not hesitate to hold Ghana Link accountable if agreed timelines are not met.
Way Forward
The Trade Ministry is expected to conduct a performance review of the ICUMS platform in November following the promised system upgrades. Stakeholders are also pushing for regular engagement forums to track improvements, identify new concerns, and ensure that ICUMS evolves into a reliable tool for facilitating business, not frustrating it.
As Ghana eyes a stronger position in West Africa’s trade ecosystem, resolving the ICUMS concerns could be a litmus test for the government’s ability to balance private sector demands with digital transformation in public sector operations.
