The Paperless Transaction introduced at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) offers a lot of promises to Ghanaians and clients of the Ports, says the Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Mr. Isaac Crentsil said this during a one-day demonstration at GPHA Headquarters, Tema to educate stakeholders of the Authority on the paperless transactions at the Ports which commences on September 1.

“There are so many promises with the system we are introducing come first September. One is to simplify the numerous port processes that lead to avoidable bureaucracies. It will help simplify and harmonize the bureaucracies to fight against corruption,” he informed.

Mr. Crentsil said the other promise was to reduce the delay at the port “and this paperless system is going to address that and serve as a better way of rewarding all the clients who are willing to comply with the system.”

He said it would create a very transparent system of evaluation and classification on imported commodities, by removing clearance check points and introducing joint examinations.

He added that, “We all know the challenges in terms of evaluation and classifications and this system is also going to look at it and address it.”

Mr. Crentsil informed that there was going to be consequences with its implementation “and it would be on those who are not going to comply with the system. So we are taking this opportunity to inform our members that as we move on to a new system of paperless transactions, let us all be compliant traders and general public so that the system will serve us with these beautiful facilities I have promised.”

He said the policy was to save Ghana by saving the economy and bringing development adding “we are doing all these things because we want efficiency at the port so that our neighbours can now do more business with us, and then revenue will come and everybody will be smiling.”

The Public Relations officer (PRO) of GPHA, Mrs Esther Gyebi-Donkor, said it was not a late exercise because various workshops had taken place and this was just to demonstrate to the public how the system was going to operate.

She said, in the interactions with various publics of the GPHA during the demonstration, real questions about the challenges that came with the new system were not many, but what they were saying was “we are not ready, we need more education so I see this workshop as very successful. If they had questions about the demonstration, then you will say they are not confident with the system.”

She hoped for a smooth transition by saying that “obviously, every transition has its own challenges, and that is what I expect to see but not a chaotic situation.”

He informed that all stake holders involved have been warned to deliver their services on time and “we believe, with the system we have in place, we don’t see challenges coming.”