GRA develops manual to re-orientate staff
The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has developed manuals to re-orientate its officers as part of efforts to change the negative perception of the authority.
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A four-day training exercise was, therefore, organised for 25 officers of the Customs Division to educate them on best practices.
They would in turn become focal persons at their respective sectors and departments to lead the customs integrity campaign.
The manuals, which come in four different forms, are expected to infuse in the personnel the tenets of professionalism, higher ethics and renewed sense of discipline.
Manuals
The Commissioner of the Customs Division, Mr John Kuudamnuru Vianney, spoke at the close of the exercise and explained that the manuals were developed under the customs Division integrity change management process being supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The project, he explained, was premised on the general perception among the public and some critical stakeholders that doing business with the customs, particularly clearing goods from the ports, was cumbersome and that one had to induce officers to facilitate service delivery.
Mr Vianney said the GRA, therefore, intended to reshape the minds and actions of “personnel who manage tax and trade regimes and also provide security at the various entry points in the country.”
“We are expected to perform our responsibilities despite the challenge of enticement by persons who may want to defraud the state and for that matter fail to honour their tax and security obligations.’’
He, therefore, called on all stakeholders to partner the GRA to devise innovative ways of tracking those negative tendencies that affected both domestic and international businesses.
Corruption
The World Bank places corruption “among the greatest obstacles to economic and social development” as it deters investment and hinders growth, spurs inequality and erodes macroeconomic and fiscal stability. It also reduces the impact of development assistance and provides incentives that exploits natural resources.
The 2011 Global Integrity Report found that trading route checkpoints in Ghana fostered corruption and caused unnecessary hurdles.
In 2014, the Global Enabling Trade Report ranked Ghana 73rd out of 138 on customs transparency and cited corruption in Ghana’s borders as one of the most problematic factors for trade.
A recent baseline survey report released by the GRA indicated that 93.6 per cent of haulers interviewed claimed they had experienced corruption in their dealings with customs officers.
Capacity
In a speech read on his behalf, the UNDP Country Director, Mr Dominic Sam, stated that customs administrations across the world were among the risk organisations most vulnerable to many kinds of corruption, from passive bribery to substantial fraud. He was optimistic the manuals would contribute to strengthening the capacity of customs in Ghana.
The Director of the Anti-Corruption Unit of CHRAJ, Mr Charles Ayamdoo, explained that integrity was basically about “doing the right thing even when no one is watching you.”
