A Presidential staffer, Krobea Kwabena Asante has provided timelines for the realization of paperless ports in Ghana and has asked the general public to ignore Carlos Ahenkorah’s claims of having a hand in the paperless ports.
Carlos Ahenkorah in an interview said “With me as the chairman, I was the one who implemented the paperless port system, that Bawumia always brags about when he mounts an NPP platform. I was the one who implemented it.
“He knows my work, he knows what I’m capable of doing… Textile Tax Stamp was my idea,” he said in Twi.
However, Presidential staffer Krobea Kwabena Asante responding to claims by the former Deputy Minister outlined steps taken by the Vice President to ensure the realization of the paperless ports.
Take a read of the steps below:
His Excellency Dr. Bawumia's first visit to the port was on Monday, 30 January 2017. It was a surprise visit to get a first-hand and unfiltered sense of operations at the port.
Carlos Ahenkorah didn’t even know that he was going to be made a Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry. His boss then, the Trade Minister in 2017 was just 12 hours in office as a minister on that day when Dr. Bawumia visited the port.
During the 30 January 2017 visit, people complained bitterly about the long room plus other aspects of the port.
Due to the complaints, Dr. Bawumia organised a port conference in May 2017 at the Labadi Beach Hotel which I attended with Dr. Bawumia.
We had resource persons from Port of Singapore International, Dubai Ports and the World Bank.
At the end of the conference, His Excellency Dr. Bawumia announced 3 major policies based on learnings from other ports and feedback from the attendees of the conference.
The removal of customs barriers.
Paperless port system by Sept 1 (Which included the shutting down of the famous long room.)
Mandatory joint inspection at the port. Dr. Bawumia oversaw the development of a process flow which introduced a risk engine, shut down the long room, integrated the 2 separate systems at the port. Dr. Bawumia formally announced the formal implementation of paperless ports in August at the banquet hall of Jubilee House.
His Excellency led the sensitisation, training and then roll out on Sept 1, 2017.
Carlos Ahenkorah didn’t play any role in the realisation of the paperless ports. I repeat he didn’t play any role in the realisation of this policy.
Attached is a video of Dr. Bawumia when he visited the Tema Port on 30 January 2017 when Carlos was not part of the executive.
