Perhaps the most vilified company and project so far, the actual Pilot for the UNIPASS, Ghana’s Single Window Project being undertaken by Ghana Link and owned by its Chairman, Nick Danso-Adjei, will commence today.

The piloting is coming off after a successful completion of the stimulation and workshop held to train Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) at Akromah Hotel in the Western Region, last week, ahead of the entire project going live at all the boarders and ports of the country.

According to GRA officials, the actual Pilot in the port involving all stakeholders is expected to also coincide with the go live across the borders in the coming weeks.

Whilst the arm-chair media experts were going to town last week with conscience-soothing falsities that UNIPASS does not have a superior system over the existing ones and that both the Volta and Takoradi Stimulation, which they ignorantly took for Pilot, the GRA officials were being trained on how well to be abreast with the project before it finally takes off early next month.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MoTI) had indicated that the new trade facilitation tool – UNIPASS Customs Technology will help provide a comprehensive national single window platform in Ghana to rake in more revenue for the country as well as enhance trade facilitation and revenue generation at ports across the country.

UNIPASS, South Korean Customs Management System, is acclaimed by the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) as the best Customs Trade Facilitation Tool, and it offers a holistic system that ensures a true paperless working environment, revenue assurance, safety and security.

Benefits

The new system, when deployed, is expected to offer Ghana access to its comprehensive world acclaimed data warehouse for deployment.

This paper understands that it will also be integrated into the cargo scanning systems at all entry and exit points and will effectively end the perennial fuel smuggling and provide better and effective control of transit.

“Apart from government agencies and other private agencies with interest in trade, the system also connects traders whose business activities are monitored.

According to the ministry, implementing the UNIPASS will mean that the government of Ghana will take total control of both security and revenue management at the borders, as well as monitor the administrative performance of its employees.

The 10-year UNIPASS Trade Facilitation and customs Management System contract is being spearheaded by Ghana Link Service Ltd, in conjunction with Customs UNIPASS International Agency (CUPIA), of the Korean Customs Service (KCS).

The transition process of the UNIPASS system, which was originally scheduled to start on January 2019, was suspended by the economic management team (EMT) due to challenges in phasing out the old system for the UNIPASS technology.

In March 2018, however, the government of Ghana through the MOTI signed a 10-year sole-sourced contract with Ghana link Network Services Ltd For the “implementation system” for Ghana.

Ghana link network series ltd with its overseas partner, CUPIA Korea customs service would oversee the implementation of the UNIPASS trade facilitation and customs management system.