'Officers are told not to accept lower value set by AI' – Freight forwarders raises memo concerns

The General Secretary of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Paul Kobina Mensah, has flagged inconsistencies in the implementation of Ghana’s customs valuation system, pointing to internal directives that appear to contradict the intended role of the AI tool.

Speaking on TV3’s Agenda on Wednesday evening, he revealed that the Institute had sighted a memo instructing customs officers to disregard AI-generated values when they fall below certain expected benchmarks.

“We were informed that this AI system would guide valuation and remove discretion,” he said.

“But we have seen a memo suggesting that when the AI gives a lower value, officers should not accept it.”

He explained that in such instances, officers are directed to apply the higher value, a practice he said raises serious concerns about fairness and consistency in the system.

“If AI is introduced to remove human discretion, then why are we still allowing officers to choose between values?” he questioned.

According to him, this approach risks defeating the core objective of the system, which is to standardise customs valuation and minimise subjective decision making.

He emphasised that while GIFF supports the adoption of technology in customs operations, it is calling for clearer guidelines and consistent application to ensure the integrity of the system.