• ICUMS has improved significantly at the ports, according to the Importers and Exporters Association

•ICUMS currently covers 135 Customs operational points across the country

•ICUMS is said to have accrued to the government some GH¢18.1 billion so far

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana has commended the significant improvement in transactions at the ports on the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS).

Despite stiff opposition to the introduction of the system in June 2020 and a rapid switch from the Ghana Customs Management System under GCNet and West Blue Consortium, the ICUMS currently covers 135 Customs operational points across the country.

Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association Samson Asaki Awingobit sharing his experience almost a year after the rollout of ICUMS said it has improved trade facilitation, clearance processes and reduced the cost and time of doing business at the ports.

“They have been able to improve trade facilitation, clearance processes, reduction of time, and cost of doing business at our ports. One unique thing about them is that when they are about to service their system, ICUMS will just inform everybody in the industry,” Awingobit said in an interaction with Citi Business News monitored by GhanaWeb.

“Then ICUMS will get back to us to inform us that the maintenance is over and if truly you go and check, you will realise that it is true they have actually performed their task and the service is back and working,” he added.

So far, the ICUMS innovation which was launched to revive the trade sector is said to accrued to the government some GH¢18.1 billion.