Ghana’s tax authority has rolled out a new artificial intelligence system, Publican AI, to clamp down on revenue losses at the country’s ports, with officials confident the move will significantly reduce import duty fraud.
The Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Anthony Sarpong, said the system is designed to detect long standing practices such as under declaration and misclassification of imported goods.
“We have introduced the new artificial intelligence system, Publican AI to tackle long standing leakages in customs revenue,” he said in an interview on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV Ghana on April 13.
According to him, the tool, known as the Publican AI system, supports customs officers by verifying the accuracy of import declarations, particularly in areas that have historically been prone to abuse.
“Customs revenue has often been undermined by human dependent processes that leave room for discretion and manipulation,” Mr Sarpong explained. “This has cost the state significant income over the years.”
He identified three major areas where the system will focus its checks.
“The first is the country of origin of goods,” he said. “Importers sometimes misstate origin to reduce freight costs and ultimately pay less duty.”
“The second is classification. Every product has a code under global trade rules, and when goods are wrongly classified, it affects the amount of tax paid.”
“The third is valuation,” he added. “Some importers understate the price of goods, making it difficult for customs to determine the true value.”
Mr Sarpong noted that the AI system addresses these gaps by cross checking declarations against global trade data.
“It reviews product classifications, compares declared values with international price ranges, and verifies supplier information, including the stated country of origin,” he said.
He stressed that the technology is not intended to replace customs officers but to strengthen their work.
“We are not taking away human oversight,” he said. “The system provides faster and more reliable data, but the final decision still rests with the officer.”
The introduction of the system forms part of broader reforms by the authority to improve revenue mobilisation, especially from import duties, which remain a major source of government income.
Mr Sarpong expressed confidence that the move will improve transparency and compliance at the ports.
“This will help standardise assessments and reduce reliance on manual judgment,” he said. “Ultimately, it ensures that importers pay the correct duties and that the country protects its revenue.”
The GRA believes the deployment of artificial intelligence marks a significant step in modernising customs operations and closing loopholes that have persisted for years.
