Freight forwarders and traders have called for the immediate review or suspension of the Publican Artificial Intelligence (AI) valuation system being introduced at the country’s ports, warning that it could increase the cost of doing business and negatively affect import trade.
The call was made by the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) in collaboration with major trading and business associations, including the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA), the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), the Customs Brokers Association of Ghana (CUBAG), the Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana (FFAG), the Association of Customs House Agents Ghana (ACHAG), the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana (TAGG), and Exim Frozen Foods.
Paul K. Mensah, General Secretary of GIFF, speaking at a press conference in Tema, said the directive governing the application of the AI valuation system must be reviewed to ensure full compliance with international customs valuation rules and Ghana’s legal framework.
He said the current implementation could create serious economic consequences for traders and importers, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises that rely heavily on imported goods for their operations.
Mensah called for the urgent establishment of an independent and accessible appeals mechanism, as well as the decentralisation of valuation processes to reduce delays, administrative bottlenecks and additional costs at the ports.
He also emphasised the need for broader stakeholder consultation involving freight forwarders, traders and industry experts to ensure a balanced and lawful implementation of the system and other new government trade policies.
The coalition further urged authorities to align all valuation processes with the Customs Act, 2015 (Act 891), warning that any system perceived as arbitrary could undermine investor confidence and increase the cost of trade in the country.
The group also called for a downward review of fees and charges imposed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), saying the combined cost of port charges, duties and administrative fees was already placing a heavy burden on businesses.
According to the coalition, the AI valuation system could struggle to fairly value used and non-standard goods such as second-hand vehicle engines and spare parts sourced from scrap markets, which do not have uniform pricing structures.
They said such goods required contextual human judgement rather than automated valuation, adding that the system did not appear to adequately assess the level of usage of second-hand goods before assigning values.
The group also raised concerns about the possibility of over-valuation being embedded in the system, noting that distorted global trade data, often linked to illicit financial flows and money laundering, could influence the benchmark values used by the AI model.
Mensah said the directive appeared to impose AI-generated values as minimum thresholds for customs valuation, a practice he said was inconsistent with Sections 67 and 68 of the Customs Act, which place transaction value as the primary method of valuation and outline a sequential approach for alternative methods.
He added that the approach also contradicted internationally accepted customs valuation principles, which discourage the use of arbitrary or minimum values.
“This has resulted in excessive and unsustainable duty assessments on traders,” he said.
The coalition said while it supported revenue mobilisation, the use of technology and stronger enforcement at the ports, such measures must be transparent, legally compliant and responsive to the realities of business operations.
They warned that failure to review the system could slow import activity, increase consumer prices, and weaken the competitiveness of local businesses that depend on imported inputs.