Accra: The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has announced a marked improvement in reducing the number of Bills of Entry (BOEs) that remain as non-exited within their system.
According to Ghana News Agency, Chief Revenue Officer Dr. Ebenezer Acquah-Bentil, who heads the Policy and Programmes Unit at the Tema Collection of the GRA-Customs Division, shared this update during the sector's first Joint Consultative Committee meeting. The meeting was organized to review port operations from the previous year.
Dr. Acquah-Bentil presented a comparative analysis revealing that the year 2024 saw a significant reduction in non-exited BOEs compared to 2023. In 2024, 210,862 import BOEs were recorded, marking a 19.46% increase from the 176,513 recorded in 2023. Of these, 209,118 import BOEs were exited in 2024, a 57.52% increase from the 132,757 exited in 2023.
The analysis also indicated that the total number of non-exited import BOEs for 2024 was 1,744, showing a drastic 96.09% reduction from the 43,756 non-exited import BOEs recorded in the previous year. Dr. Acquah-Bentil attributed this success to strategic interventions that increased the processing and exiting of BOEs.
Furthermore, Dr. Acquah-Bentil acknowledged the high levels of efficiency and commitment demonstrated by preventive officers and other staff at various freight stations and terminals during 2024. These efforts were crucial in minimizing backlogs, streamlining port operations, and enhancing the overall performance of the BOE management system.
The year 2024 also saw a reduction in short collection BOEs, indicating improved compliance by declarants and importers, which helped prevent revenue shortfalls. Dr. Acquah-Bentil emphasized that the cooperative efforts of officers, declarants, importers, and stakeholders positively impacted revenue performance in the 2024 fiscal year.
The head of policy and programme highlighted the significant increases in BOEs entered and exited in 2024, suggesting improved import activity and clearance processes. The decrease in non-exited BOEs implies enhanced processing efficiency, with Red Channel BOEs seeing a major rise and Green Channel BOEs experiencing a slight decline, possibly indicating a shift in inspection focus.
Dr. Acquah-Bentil concluded that the increase in transit BOEs exited and passed in 2024 further supports the trend toward streamlined operations.
