New Voter Forum backs implementation of Smart Port Note at Tema Port

The New Voters Forum, an interventionist civil society organisation, has thrown its support behind the implementation of the Smart Port Note (SPN), a new trade facilitation system developed by Antaser Afrique BV and set to be rolled out at the Tema Port on February 1, 2026, under the supervision of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority.

Addressing a press conference, Lead Convener of the New Voter Forum, Conqueror Mawudzo Korto, said Ghana’s existing trade governance framework is outdated and no longer aligned with global standards.

According to him, the current system relies heavily on post-arrival declarations, fragmented agency data, and foreign mirror statistics to track imports and exports. He explained that this approach undermines trade facilitation, weakens security screening, and limits Ghana’s access to international development finance.

“Across the international system, including the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, and multilateral development partners,s access to grants, concessional finance, and technical assistance is now explicitly data-driven,” Korto stated.

He noted that the Smart Port Note is designed to address this structural gap by capturing advanced cargo information at origin, before shipment.

The system, he explained, will establish a single, authoritative national trade data layer that will enable Ghana to conduct pre-arrival risk assessments and security screening, improve customs efficiency and revenue protection, meet international donor data thresholds, and unlock funding opportunities linked to Aid-for-Trade, women’s economic empowerment, child supply-chain compliance, and climate-related initiatives.

Mr Korto further clarified the distinction between the SPN and the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), stressing that the two systems serve different purposes.

“ICUMS is a customs processing and revenue system used to assess duties, taxes, and clear goods. It operates at or after cargo arrival during customs clearance,” he explained. “SPN, on the other hand, is a trade facilitation and advanced cargo information system focused on early visibility of shipments. It operates before shipment and before arrival at the port of loading.”

He therefore dismissed claims that the SPN would replace or take over the functions of ICUMS, describing such assertions as misleading.

Touching on concerns about cost implications, Mr Korto addressed claims made by the Coalition of Concerned Exporters, Importers and Traders. In a statement issued on Thursday, January 15, 2026, the coalition alleged that the SPN could cost Ghanaian shippers and ultimately consumers between €187.2 million and €382.8 million annually, based on 2024 port traffic figures and previously proposed fee structures.

However, Mr Korto emphatically rejected these claims, insisting that the SPN is not a tax and will not impose any additional cost on traders, contrary to what he described as erroneous narratives being amplified.

“For the avoidance of doubt, SPN operates on the export side because that is where cargo data is created,” he explained. “Exporters are responsible for submitting export information, just as they already do for certificates of origin, export declarations, and quality and inspection documents.”

He stressed that the implementation of the SPN should not be viewed as optional but rather as a strategic investment in Ghana’s economic sovereignty, national security, and long-term sustainability.

“Countries that control their trade data unlock growth. Countries that do not remain reactive and underfunded,” he said.

Mr Korto also highlighted that Ghana currently relies on and pays for foreign-generated trade and economic data, including Bloomberg market data and European partner-reported trade statistics, to inform fiscal and macroeconomic decisions. He noted that such data is external, retrospective, and not nationally generated, limiting its usefulness for donor qualification, risk management, and national security.

He therefore called on all stakeholders within the ports and logistics ecosystem to support the Ghana Shippers’ Authority in the rollout of the Smart Port Note, describing it as a critical step toward verifiable trade, logistics, and supply-chain data, which has increasingly become a key condition for international funding eligibility and inclusive economic growth.