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30.11.2007 General News

CEPS Commissions New Service Centre

30.11.2007 LISTEN
By ISD (Gilbert Ankrah & Tony Goodman)

As part of efforts to facilitate the clearance of goods and improve on the overall service delivery to the  satisfaction of its customers in a timely manner, the Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) yesterday opened a New Services Center at the premises of the Ghana Union of Traders' Association (GUTA) in Accra.

The Centre, which is equipped with computers, scanners and  a printer as well as internet facility, aims at minimising human interventions in the preparation and submissions of trade documentation by the use of secured electronic solutions to collect, manage and store documents.

Speaking at the launch of the Centre , an Assistant Commissioner of CEPS,  Mr Sam Yankyira , pointed out that the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, in collaboration with the revenue agencies and CEPS, had begun an implementation of a project, that would enable CEPS securely acquire and manage electronic information submitted and exchanged.

 The Assistant Commissioner intimated that the project is to ensure the physical security and maintenance of accurate contents of trade documents, adding that the intent is to secure documents from being tampered with or altered in an unauthorised manner.

He disclosed that the system would check submissions as they are being made and would prompt users in case of any mistakes in an entry as well as check on the status of stakeholders submissions.

He added that CEPS had been provided with additional electronic tools to facilitate both compliance and verification processes.

Mr Yankyira was of the expectation that this enhancement would improve the timely clearance of goods and the delivery of services as well as enhance the ability of CEPS to check fraudulent submissions and enable them increase revenues secured for national development.

The Acting President of GUTA, Mr G K Ofori, in an opening remark, disclosed that the facilities at the Centre were available free of charge to all GUTA members as well as other stakeholders of CEPS.

He urged all members to feel free and come to the centre to be trained on how to use the facilities and expressed gratitude to CEPS for the initiative.

He said that GUTA is fully prepared to support CEPS and was optimistic that the facility would bring greater transparency in  and facilitate the clearance of goods from the ports.

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