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Mr Carlos Ahenkorah speaking at the AGM
Mr Carlos Ahenkorah speaking at the AGM

‘Ghana too small to have two Single Window operators’

A Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Carlos Ahenkorah, has observed that the country is too tiny to accommodate two Single Window operators in the country. 

He has, therefore, challenged the only single window operator, Ghana Community Network Services Limited (GCNet) to, as a matter of urgency, re-double its efforts in actualizing the full breadth of Single Window operations in the country.

Speaking the 16th annual general meeting of GCNet in Accra, the deputy minister also charged GCNet to remain committed to their tenets of innovation and service delivery and work harder to expand the scope of its operations.

“Your operations are very crucial to the trade needs of this country so it is essential you spread your tentacles,’’ he said.

Some of the dignitaries at the event were a Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Kweku Kwarteng; the tax policy advisor to the Minister of Finance, Dr Larbi-Siaw; the Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr Kofi Nti; the Registrar-General, Mrs Jemima Oware, and the immediate past Commissioner of Customs, Mr John Vianney Kuudamnuru.

Robust system

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Dr Kofi Mbiah, who also spoke at the event, challenged the government to introduce pragmatic measures that would resolve the critical issues inhibiting the full actualization of Single Window implementation in the country.

“Ghana having been acknowledged as a pioneer in Single Window operations by international bodies like the World Bank and ITC and a number of countries having undertaken familiarisation visits to Ghana to learn about the GCNet experience, we need to do more to make the system very robust,’’ he said.

He also called for greater collaborations between GCNet and other operators, especially in the area of defining the parameters of engagement, to create a level playing field for all players in the trade facilitation and revenue mobilisation eco-system.

Revenue mobilisation

For his part, the  Executive Chairman of GCNet, Dr Nortey Omaboe, said the  Public-Private Partnership (PPP) concept was the best way to enhance revenue mobilisation by the government, foster trade facilitation and enhance business competitiveness.

He appealed to the government to consider proposals by his outfit to help enhance revenue mobilisation.

“These include the need to improve upon the valuation of consignments, the need to invoke bonds for transit goods that do not exit the country after 14 days and the review of the paltry charges currently imposed, ensuring that warehoused goods are ex-warehoused within the stipulated time periods, tighter control of free zone operations and the duty and tax exemptions granted thereon, the assignment of all newly registered taxpayers to relevant GRA Tax Offices and ensuring they file tax returns,’’ he said.

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