Technical partners of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, WestBlue Consulting has organised a pilot of the paperless port for stakeholders in Tema.

The pilot saw the stakeholders including freight forwarders and key Maritime sector agencies have a hands-on practical experience on how to electronically send declarations for processing leading to the clearance of goods from the ports.

The programme afforded the participants the opportunity to chronologically learn the various steps that they require to follow in order to successfully submit their declarations electronically.

Representatives of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Food and Drugs Authority, the Ghana Standards Authority and the Plant protection and regulatory services department among others including staff of several freight forwarding firms were supplied with laptop computers and access to internet to enable them carry out the task of piloting the system.

Officials of WestBlue consulting who took the participants through the pilot also took time with the assistance of officials from the customs division, to answer all pertinent questions bordering the participants with regards to the paperless port.

Stakeholder satisfaction

All the stakeholders who spoke the New Maritime and Transport Digest after the programme expressed satisfaction on how the system operates. They told this reporter even though they struggled initially, they stabilised along the line and finished beautifully.

They acknowledged the fact that it took only a few steps to get the declaration sent, adding that once they start using the system, they will get accustomed to it. They were excited that within a few minutes they could send out declarations and monitor the actions being taken on their documents online in the comfort of their offices.