Ghana’s new Publican AI Trade Solution has generated over US$300 million in additional assessed customs collections between January and 17th July 2026, the Minister for Finance has reported to Parliament.
Presenting results during the Fiscal Policy Review 2026, the Minister said the system has delivered a 17.5% increase on values originally declared by importers, with no new taxes introduced.
Strong Monthly Performance:
The AI platform, which moved from pilot in Jan–Feb 2026 to full deployment in March, recorded the following gains:
March: US$73.44 million — 25.7% increase
April: US$51.63 million
May: US$72.51 million
June: US$55.84 million
1–17 July: US$35.17 million
How Publican is Working:
Since full deployment, Publican AI has analysed approximately 366,000 import declarations.
Nearly 1 in 4 declarations — 24% — triggered more than one valuation risk indicator and were referred for further review by GRA officers.
The Minister highlighted two key figures:
> “Declared CIF value of imports rose about 6.3%. Assessed collections rose 17.5%. The distance between them is what was previously escaping proper assessment.”
Impact on Monthly Revenue:
Monthly customs revenue has risen from an average of ~GH¢4 billion in 2025 to between GH¢5.3 billion and GH¢5.5 billion in 2026 — despite significant cedi appreciation.
“No new tax handle. Better assessment,” the Minister stated.
Warning to Importers:
The Finance Ministry sent a clear message to the trading community:
“To the compliant importer: this protects you. Honest declaration should never have been a competitive disadvantage.
To the rest: undervaluation is no longer a strategy that pays.”
The Publican AI rollout forms part of government’s broader #RevenueAdministration and #GhanaFIRST agenda to modernise revenue collection and improve fiscal discipline.
