It is surprising that just after quite a few of their arguments in opposition to the UNIPASS technique has fallen flat, they have moved into total equipment to make the President Nana Akufo-Addo unpopular in an election year — signalling how they can make him drop the 2020 elections if they are not allowed to keep on their deal. Dilemma is how? Enable me explain to you.
The Ghana Local community Community Solutions Minimal GCNeT and West Blue Consulting, just on Tuesday, April 28, determined to present what they are able of by switching off their methods, even though the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) had told them in a written letter that they have been going to get the job done alongside the new method UNIPASS until finally Could 15.
They were being incredibly significantly knowledgeable that importers had started off the method to apparent their products with some getting even created payments over the weekend and on Monday, April 27, but they rapidly despatched a term close to that their system experienced been blocked by the federal government and anyone who tried using to use it was directed to the new Built-in Customs Management System also identified as UNIPASS program which was not performing they claimed.
An clear untruth which they pushed challenging with their agents and assignees some coming from the civil modern society sector. This they created guaranteed was bought by the media as they have massive machinery in put performing all-around the clock to set the agenda and make the world feel what they say, even if it is a lair, which it was anyway.
What was the governing administration directive about UNIPASS? That from Tuesday, all new clearing procedure, be it manifest or other documentation was to go by way of the new Built-in Customs Administration Method ICMS the same was the system for the rollout in Takoradi port, Elubo and Afloa boarders.
I refer you to this story.
So I ask myself, how on earth a procedure which is the identical and has not transformed, performing at the Takoradi Port just after all the noise that it experienced challenges not perform at Tema?
Enable me refer you all over again to a different tale on myjonline.com.
As for the explanations why this took place I will occur back again to it. But I will question you a question that if a lender is a shareholder of a enterprise which is about losing its contract and there is a grand plan to stop it, what will happen? Assume about it.
But most importantly, these days importers at the land borders and Takoradi Port are doing the job applying the exact same procedure with the complaining stopped.
So, I will want to know if at the Tema Port and at the Kotoka Worldwide Airport (KIA), we have to have a unique system to do the job there. Can GCNeT and West Blue Consulting explain to the country if their program at the Tema Port is distinct from what is at the Takoradi Port and KIA?
I will want to talk to Journalist in this nation to offer us with just one human being an importer who is duly registered and has been assigned his or her password to the UNIPASS system and between Tuesday, April 28 and Thursday went into the program to be a new clearing process and that did not perform?
It is instructive to be aware that each importer or users of the freight forwarders crew that had been conversing ended up folks who experienced indeed begun a system in the GCNeT/West Blue procedure right before the take working day of Tuesday, April 28.
Properly, lots of of the importers had their documentation in the GCNeT/West Blue procedure and experienced begun the process to obvious at the Tema Port, this meant that switching off the method influenced trade facilitation, provide ongoing organizations or clearing to a standstill.
Examine this and get why I am stating that, there is a grand plan to make the governing administration unpopular:
Dear Consumer, Subsequent before directives from Government directing GCNeT to halt obtaining new declarations and the ensuing halt of new declaration processing on our platform, GCNeT administration is in discussion with authorities on the way ahead.
In the meantime, being aware of the latest troubles the circumstance has established for the buying and selling community in the clearance method, GCNeT is at the moment in the course of action of restoring expert services for sleek paperless port processes to resume as common.
Be assured of our continuous determination to serve you better.” That is a information from the GCNeT to importers.
Now, at the assembly to get West Blue and GCNeT to restore the program which they claimed that the governing administration blocked, these distributors after laying down their needs, the federal government said assumed it sensible to say okay we will give you 3 months to wrap up your work but they refused. They relatively questioned for six months from the governing administration.
Well, permit me explain to say these sellers are asking you for six months. I know there was supposed to be a conference at the Presidency on Thursday, April 30, to go over the way forward.
The 6 months, if granted, will stop close to Oct this calendar year, which will be in the warmth of the elections. The Tema East and Tema West parliamentary seats are really important to the ruling party and the governing administration by itself cannot find the money for to come to be unpopular among the trading community not just two months to elections.
This will indicate around that time any agitations from the importers and trading local community the government will not want and so will have to make it possible for the GCNeT and West Blue to do the job. The approach is to shut the system again and this also gives them time to go and tweak their procedure and place in other innovations which they really do not have and occur again and make a case that they have almost everything the UNIPASS technique has obtained.
In actuality, GCNeT is heading to appear in and make a situation that they are able of performing with West Blue is performing and the Cargo Monitoring Notice amid other folks is currently being accomplished by other vendors. So West Blue have to even observe them.
The procedure will be shut once again if they are advised to wrap up come both May possibly 15 as they have been directed before or given 3 months or 6 months. The authorities must be cautious not to get a uncooked offer.
Considering the fact that GCNeT declare source codes they maintain is their own mental house as the organization for the reason that is a foreign the vast majority-owned (SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance SA) then we need to not put the foreseeable future of the nation’s data in foreign hands.
UNIPASS, scheduled to start off operations at the Tema Port, was heading to replace the Pre-Arrival Evaluation Report (PAARS), which was getting performed by West Blue, and the Ghana Customs Management Procedure (GCMS), jointly operated by the Customs Division of the GRA and GCNeT.
The new technique, an additional public-personal partnership will offer unimpeded international commerce through the country’s ports by working the Built-in Customs Administration System (ICUMS) which is anticipated to procedure an average of 2,000 import declarations every day from the premises of the Ministry of Finance where the infrastructure has been put in.
What is taking place at the Tema Port I have viewed with shock, how contractors below in am referring to the Ghana Neighborhood Community Solutions Constrained also known as GCNeT and West Blue Consulting right now can decide to maintain the complete nation at ransom since they will not allow the federal government to conclusion their deal.
It is critical to take note that the West Blue’s deal is ending soon, I consider by the near of the year. But GCNeT which is overseas the greater part-owned entered into an “Original Agreement” dated October 4, 2000. Interesting the deal which experienced a lot more than two obvious a long time to conclusion in 2016, was renewed to finish in December 2023, even however there is no clause which enables for it. No one can now inform what the motive was but even just after the renewal, they unsuccessful to just take it to parliament for ratification.
Inform me who does that, and wherever the government is wrong to say that GCNeT has not received a deal. Also, even while you have the Ghana Revenue Authority GRA, GCB and SSNIT also staying shareholders of the entity SGS Societe Generale de Surveillance SA, has bulk shares generating the enterprise a foreigner owned.
When the government showed it intention to want to end the contract, then professionals of GCNeT then arrived out with the narrative that they ended up keen to give our additional 30 for each cent of the shares to the government to allow for it have a managing stake in the enterprise and come to a decision on it way forward. At the exact same time, new innovations in their 20-calendar year-outdated system to make them a one window with all the troubles the federal government has elevated showed up.
They also manufactured claims like the UNIPASS partaking in the cloning of their system, accused the GRA officials of opening their substations to allow for the UNIPASS crew the Koreans who in the globe these days all among the the top 4 countries with the finest Port Management programs supplying a seamless and fastest clearing method to copy them. Stunning appropriate?
My concern is why they are not heading to courtroom over intellectual, Patent and other rights working with the copyright regulation and the corporation law if they truly feel that in truth, the Koreans have copied anything of these.
Permit me assist all of to refresh our brains in 2000 when GCNeT was coming into the country and we were advised that they had been likely to support automate the ports and also in many years not very long back when West Blue Consulting was coming to choose in excess of the PAARS we all saw what occurred in this state. The resistance which was fuelled by the existing sellers at the port.
But it took a authorities with dedication and with balls to make certain that these assignments took off devoid of the suppliers holding the country at ransom or go to the extent these vendors West Blue and GCNeT who introduced business at the Tema port to a standstill.
We a extremely considerably informed of how they have paid out their way to get the media to give them air time to let their spokesperson staying persons they have contracted a person from civil culture and some associates of officialdom such as the personal sector to speak on air.
These days it is stunning to know that, all the noise about West Blue and GCNeT integration in addition the two devices not in a position to chat to every other delaying clearing of products, casing maximize in floor lease and demurrage payment at the port is no a lot more from the importers but we are told that the systems operate cohesively.
They also by their agents and assignees in the media war to protect against the consider of the UNIPASS process said the procedure was not very good and has not been tried using and analyzed anyplace in the globe
Nicely, you can check out with Tanzania in which considering that 2015 beneath the title Tancis, which World Customs Business (WCO) has acclaimed as just one of the ideal modern trade facilitation techniques. Go to just Cameroon, like Ghana, has also deployed the identical engineering just after properly building their system early this yr.
Let me additional point out that in Ecuador in South The united states, the system has effectively been deployed given that 2010 and it is even now operating.
The greatest position to see the efficacy of this UNIPASS customs management know-how is in South Korea by itself wherever because 1998 the procedure has been deployed to efficiently handle their complicated and far even larger customs functions.
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The views expressed in this post are the individual sights of Nana K Mensah, the creator, and does not mirror people of this media outlet.