The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has pledged to take disciplinary action against customs officials who breach established procedures after an investigation into an attempted transit cargo diversion uncovered multiple regulatory violations.
Speaking at a media briefing, Commissioner-General Anthony Sarpong said the Authority would continue to promote legitimate trade but would also hold officers accountable where misconduct is established.
He said, “As GRA, as we always say, we are there to support businesses, and when your business grows and thrives, then our work of collecting taxes also progresses.”
Addressing traders, he urged businesses to comply with customs rules and seek guidance whenever they are uncertain about procedures. He also praised officers who carry out their duties professionally but cautioned that wrongdoing would attract consequences.
“However, few of us who do not also comply with the law, when you are found foul of not following procedures, we are firm in our mind and actions to take the necessary sanctions so that we always bring discipline and order into the service that we do,” he stated.
The comments followed investigations into 18 trucks that were declared as transit cargo from Togo through Ghana to Niger but were intercepted in February 2026 at the Kpone barrier toward the motorway by a joint Customs preventive and National Security team over suspected diversion into the local market.
According to the GRA, investigators established that the goods originated from Malaysia and Indonesia, arrived through the Port of Lomé, and were actually destined for Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on behalf of two Ivorian companies rather than Niger as declared.
The probe also uncovered falsified shipping documents, under-declared cargo, incorrect tariff classifications that reduced the required bond value, and inconsistencies surrounding the declared consignee, whose taxpayer identification details could not be confirmed by the Nigerien Chamber of Commerce.
An examination of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) further revealed 44 earlier transit declarations linked to the same consignee within the last two years, with several transactions displaying similar documentation issues and questionable exit records.
Following the findings, the GRA interdicted four customs officers connected to the shipment and has begun internal disciplinary proceedings to determine their responsibility under the law and the Authority’s regulations.
The Authority also confirmed that the seized goods have been confiscated and, on the directive of the Ministry of Finance, allocated to the National School Feeding Programme.
The GRA said it has tightened border compliance measures to strengthen revenue collection, facilitate lawful trade and curb smuggling and other illicit commercial activities.
