Freight Forwarders 'clash' with Awingobit over Publican AI System

The Coalition of Importers & Exporters, Traders, and Freight Forwarders has criticized the Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG), Samson Awingobit, for publicly endorsing the Publican Artificial Intelligence (AI) System introduced at Ghana’s ports.

Awingobit maintains that extensive stakeholder engagements with government and relevant agencies preceded the rollout of the system.

However, in a statement copied to GhanaWeb, the Coalition rejected this claim, insisting his remarks do not reflect the reality on the ground.

The Coalition stressed its demand for an efficient, transparent, fair, and accountable port system.

It said, “The trading community of Ghana will not be silenced by a lone individual with no mandate, no experience, and who is tainted by a clear conflict of interest. We therefore call on all media houses, civil society, and the public to completely disregard Mr. Awingobit’s statements as they do not reflect reality at Ghana’s ports.”

They further argued that their opposition is not to technology itself, but to what they describe as a “poorly implemented, opaque, and unaccountable system.”

According to the Coalition, their position is evidence-based and rooted in daily port operations, areas they claim Awingobit has little knowledge of.

While acknowledging that technology can play a vital role in Ghana’s development, the Coalition reiterated its resistance to the current system’s shortcomings.

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It will be recalled that on April 9, 2026, Awingobit dismissed suggestions that the IEAG remained opposed to the Publican AI System, describing such claims as outdated.

He explained that earlier concerns raised in 2025 were centered on the need for broader stakeholder consultation, as well as issues of data security, transparency, and system integration.

According to him, those concerns were addressed through constructive engagements with the Ministry of Finance and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), which he said were responsive to industry input.

SA