One year after the implementation of the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN), businesses are yet to have all their concerns in relation to its implementation addressed.
The CTN is meant to help Custom officers have proper and adequate information on cargos to prevent under-invoicing and fraud at the country’s ports.
The Ghana Revenue Authority started the implementation of the CTN in October 2018.
Under the CTN system, exporters the world over, shipping cargo to Ghana are to provide detailed and timely information about their shipment in advance on a global online platform.
All cargoes coming into the country must be covered by a CTN number, a unique loading certificate number that confirms detailed information about the cargo and the movement between ports.
The system has over the period suffered setbacks as freight forwarders complained about the lack of comprehensive stakeholder consultation before its implementation, resulting in a temporary halting of the system at least thrice.
A year down the line, freight forwarders are lamenting the impact of the policy on their operations saying it has led to a drop in their returns on imports.
In an interview with Citi Business News, the President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Kwabena Ofosu-Appiah said though members are complying with the policy, they want some teething issues duly addressed.
“We warned about a year ago that with the way we are carrying on it will reflect and I keep quoting the President when he says that money and investment do not lie in a controlled space”, he stressed.
“If someone wants to invest in your space things must be laid down, people’s expectations must be guaranteed but if we keep huffing and puffing, it sends a wrong signal to businesses and that’s exactly what we are seeing, this is the outcome. You’ve heard recently that revenue is dropping”.
He added, “The reality of the time is that people have hedged their expectations within the trade space, it’s as simple as that. So if you ask me of CTN, the tree was crooked so that’s how the ashes are now, it is not magic”.
The Ghana Revenue Authority recently also issued a directive compelling all freight forwarders to continue to comply with the CTN.
Kwabena Ofosu Appiah maintains that the freight forwarders would continue to engage for detailed guidelines of the program.