Destination Inspection: Ghana Saves $966Million

For introducing destination  inspection scheme since  2001, the Ghanaian government has saved a whooping $965,673,635 million which would have been lost to faulty declarations which would have been  made by importers in that country, but for the adjustment that are been made by Gateway Services Limited(GSL), the leading destination inspection agent in Ghana. GSL is a subsidiary of global inspection giants; Cotecna Destination Inspection Services.
Available statistics revealed that the country garnered the sum from interventions made by the Service Provider on about 305,469 transactions between 2001 and 2008. Meanwhile, while operators of Nigerian ports are battling with debilitating port congestion in Lagos ports where only  about 30 percent of the total imports are subjected to scanning, about 70 percent of goods going to ports of neighbouring Ghana are subjected to scanning to fasten the process of cargo delivery to consignees.
Managing Director of Gateway Services Limited, (GSL) Mr. Nabali Bawa, the leading destination inspection service provider in Ghana disclosed that the company has reduced physical examination of imports to about 30 percent.
Bawa explained that with the commencement of destination inspection,, Ghana has been able to drastically reduce physical examination significantly, adding however that previously goods scanned were still been subjected to physical examination.
He pointed out that the case was reported to the Ghanaian Customs Excise and Preventive Services which ordered a reversal of such decisions and put in place a monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance based on the conviction that  the faster the transactions at the ports, the more revenue that would accrue to the government.
The GSL boss also noted that unlike in Nigeria where there is a long list of banned items, in Ghana there are about three items such as: arms and ammunition, some category of drugs and food items on import prohibition list.
He also disclosed that importer wishing to import foods items into that country are expected to first bring sample of such goods for testing and verification before they can be shipped to Ghana.