Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Col. Kwadwo Damoah, has made a categorical pledge to the trading public in Ghana, that Ghana Customs will deliver efficiently in its mandate as the designated competent authority for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement in Ghana.
Speaking on Eye on Port, the Customs Commissioner explained that, the trading public should also be more confident in customs systems’ in the application of the rules of origin, because the AfCFTA has remedial provisions to infringements within the protocols, and Ghana Customs wouldn’t want to jeopardize its reputation and submit itself to the legal ramifications thereof.
“Do not forget that if we do anything against the express provisions of the protocols, it goes against us. And there are safeguards and remedies in this protocol that the other countries can take against you if as a member state, you engage in fraud,” he elaborated.
He said the trading public should be rest assured that all necessary procedures to comply with the intra-continental trading arrangements with respect to standards to be duly followed, because Customs are in close collaboration with the various statutory agencies in the country to deliver on their mandate.
“We are not doing it in isolation. We are doing it in collaboration with Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and all the relevant state institutions that have roles to play in the certification, so they should feel convinced that as stakeholders,” he assured.