Folks in recent times one conversation has become very topical at our ports and various custom entries and that conversation is nothing but the redundant UNIPAS-ICUMS system.
Importers have been stranded for days waiting on a system to accurately calculate their imports duties so they can clear goods but to no avail.
In a few instances where the system has been able to generate something, the quoted import charges has been nothing but ridiculous!
It is estimated that at least GHC30million is lost at the ports daily because of this redundant UNIPAS-ICUMS system.
And it all started when some people decided to ditch a robust and efficient GC-Net system that has been working in our ports for years, helping government collects it’s proper import charges, being the second highest tax payer to the government of Ghana and giving government 35% of free dividends annually running into millions of cedis for something they claim is “better”.
Unfortunately it turns out the “better” turned out to be a big ass white elephant that cannot even clear a tin of tomato paste at the port.
I hope the EC Chairperson madam Jean Mensa is watching closely… on how a supposed new system that was meant to fix the weaknesses of an old system is turning out to be the biggest mistake in the history of port system management in Ghana because unlike this UNIPAS-ICUMS system where we have ample time to address the challenges, during elections we may not have the luxury of time to be fixing any deficient system.
Unlike the UNIPAS-ICUMS system where we are losing money, in the new EC system we may lose lives, properties, our democracy if it doesn’t work properly, and for the record these things are more valuable than the money we are currently loosing at the port.
The only similarity this UNIPAS-ICUMS system has with New EC system is that someone decided to fix a system that was not broken in the first place.
In the case of UNIPAS-ICUMS, the end results has been nothing but disastrous…
Only God knows what then awaits us on December 7 and “let no one assume that we will accept the results of a flawed elections.”
This point is for emphasis because we CSOs would be the first to reject the outcome of any flawed elections in 2020.
I rest my case.
Mensah Thompson
Executive Director,ASEPA
0542120628
