Trade data expert proposes solutions to losses at Ghana’s ports

A trade data expert has proposed policy measures to address revenue losses and operational inefficiencies at Ghana’s ports.

In a policy brief shared with the Ghana News Agency on Friday, January 23, 2026, David O.G. Abbots, a trade data expert and supply-chain systems specialist, examined weaknesses in the country’s trade and port data governance framework, which need to be halted.

He said Ghana’s current trade management system relied largely on post-arrival declarations, fragmented agency data and foreign mirror statistics to track imports and exports, a practice he described as outdated and inconsistent with modern trade facilitation standards.

Abbots noted that weaknesses in trade data management had contributed to revenue leakages through under-invoicing, misclassification of goods and undocumented cargo movements, depriving the state of significant customs revenue and undermining fiscal planning.

He observed that Ghana continued to depend on external trade data sources, including partner-reported statistics and paid international market databases, to inform macro-economic and fiscal decisions, despite the limitations of such retrospective and foreign-generated data.

“No modern trading nation leaves the generation of its trade intelligence to foreign sources,” he said, adding that the absence of a unified national trade data system constrained revenue protection, security screening and access to international development finance.

Abbot, therefore, proposed the adoption of a Smart Port Note (SPN) system, which would capture advance cargo information at the point of origin, before shipment, and create a single national trade data layer accessible to all relevant state agencies.

The system would enable pre-arrival risk assessment, improve customs efficiency, strengthen revenue protection and help Ghana meet donor data requirements linked to Aid-for-Trade, climate finance, women’s economic empowerment and child supply-chain programmes.

He said that measure was consistent with the World Trade Organisation Trade Facilitation Agreement and the World Customs Organisation SAFE Framework, and would align Ghana with international best practice in port and trade data management.

“Implementing this system is not optional,” he said, adding: “It is an investment in economic sovereignty, national security and Ghana’s ability to attract concessional finance.”

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