The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) has donated 15 pickup trucks and three working dogs to the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The donation is part of the Danish Embassy’s contribution towards the Customs Division’s fight against illegal activities along Ghana’s borders.

The 15 pickup trucks were handed over to various units of the Customs Division in a brief ceremony at the premises of the institution in Accra Tuesday.

Delivering his address at the event, the Head of Missions at the Danish Embassy in Ghana, Peter Eilschow Olesen assured of his outfit’s willingness to support the GRA in efforts to accelerate revenue generation to enable government implement its development projects.

“It is our hope that the capacity we build within the GRA will enable this institution to better protect Ghana’s borders, guard the revenue coffers and strengthen staff capacity to deliver on its mandate. Increased revenue is needed to fund the visions of President Akufo-Addo’s government for rapid industrialization, faster growth, job creation and economic prosperity while at the same time marking the gradual transition from aid to trade,” he stated.

GRA Customs Division grateful to DANIDA for its support – Commissioner General

Commissioner General of the Customs Division at the Ghana Revenue Authority, Isaac Crentsil, lauded the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) for donating the fifteen pickup trucks as well as the three working dogs to the institution.

Calling on other benevolent individuals and organizations to follow suit, Mr Crentsil asserted that the donation of the vehicles will help Customs officers tackle illegalities at Ghanaian borders.

“This unit of 15 pickups will go a long way to assist our preventive operations especially at some of our frontier stations for effective patrols. To be up to the task of checking smuggling along our vast borders, the need for such varieties cannot be overemphasized,” he said.

“Indeed, we look up to other donor partners to emulate this demonstration of support from DANIDA to enable Customs Division, and for that matter GRA, close all the loopholes in revenue leakage,” he added.

The Commissioner General of the GRA, Emmanuel Kofi Nti, briefly added that the gesture by DANIDA cements the Danish government’s pledge to support the Akufo-Addo administration to deliver on its mandates.

He observed that the provision of logistics to the Customs Division of GRA will aid in revenue mobilization, which is very important to the socio-economic development of Ghana.