Stakeholders were not consulted before Publican AI rollout at ports – GUTA

The Ghana Union of Traders’ Associations has expressed concern over the introduction of an artificial intelligence system at the country’s ports, saying key stakeholders were not adequately consulted before its rollout. The development has sparked debate within Ghana’s trading community about transparency, stakeholder engagement, and the potential economic impact of emerging technologies in trade facilitation.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, April 22, the Director of Welfare at GUTA, Benjamin Yeboah, said the union only became aware of the system after it was mentioned in the 2026 budget presentation by the Minister for Finance. His comments highlight growing frustration among traders who feel sidelined in policy decisions that directly affect their operations.

Mr Yeboah explained that the Minister had indicated that the AI system, known as Publican AI, would be deployed at the ports to monitor valuations and detect possible misclassification of goods. The system is intended to improve efficiency and plug revenue leakages, but its implementation has raised questions about fairness and accuracy.

“We got here when last year the Minister for Finance, in his 2026 budget, made mention of the deployment of the AI system at the port to check on valuations and possibly misclassifications,” he said.

According to him, the justification given was that the government was losing revenue due to improper declarations by importers. Authorities believe that automation and data-driven systems can help reduce human discretion and curb under-declaration practices at the ports.

“He gave a little overview… that people were ripping off the government. They are losing revenue due to people not declaring properly,” he added.

Following this, GUTA decided to engage the ministry for further clarification, emphasizing the need for dialogue between policymakers and industry players to ensure smooth implementation.

“We thought it wise that we all know what AI is… so let’s approach the ministry and see how best we can sit down with them because as major stakeholders, we should know how the deployment will be,” Mr Yeboah said.

However, he said that despite repeated efforts, the union only secured a meeting with officials in February 2026, several months after the budget was read in November. The delay, according to GUTA, limited their ability to provide input during the early stages of implementation.

“We pushed and pushed… it was just in February that we got a chance to meet with them,” he said.

At that meeting, GUTA was informed that a pilot of the system was already underway at the ports, indicating that implementation had progressed significantly before stakeholder consultations were held.

“They were made to know that they’ve actually started a pilot… and they brought a screen showing us what they have seen,” he explained.

According to Mr Yeboah, officials claimed the system had already flagged about 14 companies for alleged under-declaration and presented figures suggesting revenue losses to the state. This, they argued, demonstrated the effectiveness of the AI tool in identifying discrepancies.

“They’ve even seen about 14 companies that, to them, were not properly declaring, and then they showed us some figures that they thought they owed the government,” he said.

GUTA, however, questioned why stakeholders had not been involved earlier in the process, stressing that collaboration could have helped address potential operational challenges before rollout.

“We thought that we as major stakeholders… would have that sitting and then we look at how the whole thing is going to work,” he said.

He warned that the system could lead to increased import values and operational challenges for traders, particularly small and medium-scale importers who may struggle with higher costs.

“Don’t you think it’s going to uplift values and cause problems?” he said they asked officials during the meeting.

Although authorities assured them that the system would largely operate smoothly, Mr Yeboah said concerns have already begun to materialise, with traders reporting unexpected increases in valuation.

“They tried as much as possible to explain… that maybe about 24 to 25 per cent might have problems, but 75 per cent will be okay,” he recounted.
“Just as we suspected, most of our members were reporting that their values have been taken up high,” he added.

He cited cases where importers who previously paid about 100,000 per container are now being charged up to 300,000, a sharp increase that could affect pricing across supply chains and ultimately impact consumers.

“Those that were paying 100,000 per cargo container… are now paying about 300,000,” he said.

Mr Yeboah warned that the situation could lead to serious consequences, including delays, cargo congestion, and additional costs associated with demurrage and storage at the ports.

“People are going to have their cargo locked up at the port… running into damages,” he said.

During the interview, he confirmed that GUTA had no prior engagement with the system before the budget announcement, reinforcing concerns about limited consultation.

When asked whether the industry had any knowledge of the Publican AI system before it was mentioned in the budget, he responded, “No.”

He also confirmed that there had been no prior interaction with the system.

On whether the February meeting was their first engagement after the November budget reading, Mr Yeboah said, “Yes, after constant pushing to meet with the minister.”

The concerns raised by GUTA add to a broader national conversation about the role of artificial intelligence in governance, particularly in critical sectors such as trade and revenue collection, where accuracy, fairness, and stakeholder trust are essential.