The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Anthony Sarpong, has defended the authority’s newly introduced AI-powered customs valuation system, “Publican AI,” saying it has significantly improved efficiency at the country’s ports by reducing processing time from about two hours to just five minutes.
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV on April 13 with host Moro Awudu, Mr Sarpong said the system had transformed how customs valuation is done, making the process faster, more accurate, and less dependent on manual checks.
“Previously, it takes our officers not less than two hours,” he explained. “But in this particular case… in five minutes, it generates a report for the officer.”
He added that the system does not replace human judgment but supports customs officers with data-driven analysis.
“What the AI Publican does is not arbitrary as it is being claimed. It looks at the declaration by the importer, checks global and historical data, and provides a valuation range,” he said.
Mr Sarpong stressed that the reform is aimed at improving trade facilitation while protecting government revenue.
“So this is the kind of efficiency we are talking about — to facilitate trade and ensure government gets its taxes,” he said.
