GRA, USA customs tighten security at the borders

The Ghana Revenue Authority in partnership with the United States Customs’ and Border Protection have agreed to tighten security services at the borders to help curb the upsurge of fraudulent activities in the system.

This was made known recently in Accra during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the United States of America (USA) Customs’ and border protection to provide best practice at the international border which will ensure effective security system around the country’s borders.

The agreement strategically focused on Narcotics trafficking, human trafficking, smuggling of hazardous materials, capacity building and technical assistance both in the provision of informal guidance and other areas of interest of which the agreement seeks to address in order to vigilantly scrutinise the flow of goods and services around these boundaries.

John Vianney Kuudamnuru, Commisioner of Customs Division, GRA at the signing ceremony said: “The USA government through its agencies supported a training programme which spanned many critical Ghana government agencies that were to implement the new international border management.”

He added that there have been numerous capacity building initiatives and training programmes that have been offered by the United States government agencies, for example, the USAID.

According to him, this initiative has strengthened the international collaboration for the facilitation of the supply chain and has made investment procedures much easier and international trade is conducted under a congenial atmosphere.

He added: “Currently the on-going training and logistical support programme that Customs’ is extending to the GRA is to set up a Canine unite that will augment security systems at the ports and harbours,” he noted.

Gil Kerlikowske, Commisioner, United States Customs’ and Border Protection stated that: “This Memorandum of Understanding is particularly helpful in a number of ways for continuing robust and important trade relationships between the two customs authorities”.

The signing of this memorandum he said “provides a strong foundation to continue building not only the capacity of the officials here in Ghana, but also to be able to return back to the united states with new knowledge and new insight with new information to see the best practices that this government is portraying in Ghana”.