CEPS to Ease Delays At the Ports

The Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) on Monday received 29 computers and accessories worth 500 million cedis from government to ease delays in clearing and forwarding goods at the ports.

Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, Minister of Trade and Industry, presenting the items said it was only by improving the quality of service delivery of all agencies involved in customs procedures that Ghana could reduce the cost of doing business.

"Trade now moves and must move at higher speed than ever before. In this environment, business simply cannot afford to have imported and exported goods piled up for days, let alone weeks because of unnecessary or antiquated trade formalities," he noted.

Dr Apraku said costs stemming from customs and related import formalities now stand in the order of two to five per cent of the value of merchandise trade.

He said trade facilitation is at the core of government's trade and investment promotion, which is crucial to the flow of foreign direct investment into the country. "In effect investors are looking for ways of reducing cost as a way of staying in business."

Mr Isaac Opoku -Ntiamoah, Commissioner of CEPS, who received the items, said the delays sometimes do not come from CEPS, as there were other agencies involved in the clearing and forwarding business.