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Ghana loses GH₵100m port revenue – Minority
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Ghana lost GH₵100 million at the ports in three days due to errors in the switch from port management system GCNET to UNIPASS.
Isaac Adongo, the Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga Central and Minority Spokesperson on Finance who made the claim at a press briefing in Accra yesterday said the anomaly occurred from April 28 to 30 this year.
He said the revenue loss had continued till June causing huge financial loss to the country.
“In Tema, no single end-to-end transaction has gone through since 1st June This is how the system will operate even after the backlog of Wes Blue/GCNET transactions are cleared at excessive revenue loss to the state,” he said.
He said, “No entry has been processed at the Elubo border for one week. All revenue for the state for one week completely lost and entries are not going through at KIA and declarants are compelled to make payments against clearance to be corrected later.”
Mr Adongo alleged that “out of 750 clearing agents on the Wes Blue/GCNET system, only 450 are able to access the dysfunctional ICUMS with no end product. About 300 agents can’t access this bogus system”.
According to Minority Spokesperson following all protocols for a transition and conducting “a pilot would have cleared the way for a seamless transition from an end to end digital system to an end to end digital system”.
He said there was no need to replace the tried and tested GCNET and West Blue adding that the integration proved successful, resulting in government revenues consistently rising (except in 2019 when government reduced benchmark values at the ports) to the admiration of all governments.
The data he said showed that customs revenue generated through the system rose from GH₵7.5 billion in 2015 to about GH₵13.2 billion in 2018. This represented an accumulated growth in customs revenues between 2015 and 2018 of about 76 percent.
“Unsurprisingly, the system the two companies have put together has not had any system breaches since its inception. Indeed, the system’s robustness in the midst of expanded port operations has been remarkable as evidenced through the increased revenues delivered year-in-year-out,” he said.
In spite of these outstanding performances, he said GCNET and West Blue whose contracts were due to expire at the end of 2023 and 2020, respectively, were paid a combined fee of 0.54% of Free on Board (FOB) taking into consideration government’s 35% shares in GCNET.
“Now, after these years of sustained innovations, deliberate investments and visible improvements in the gains, the country is readying itself to throw away its best trade facilitation service providers for a company that neither has a track record nor a concrete, a defined, a professed or a self-procured system to work with,” he said.
Mr Adongo said the emergence of manual releases and clearing of cargo, manual warehousing of cargo, manual releases of export or transhipment cargo and engendering human interference in the clearing system was an attempt to abuse the port system.
The Accra Regional Police Command has arrested former professional boxer Michael Ayitey Okai, popularly known as “Ayitey Powers,” over an alleged threat of death against the Director-General of the National Sports Authority, Yaw Ampofo.
According to the Police, the 46-year-old former boxer was arrested on Monday, August 24, 2026, in connection with the alleged threat.
The Police said the arrest followed a video circulating on social media in which Ayitey Powers is alleged to have issued the threat against Mr Ampofo.
He is currently in Police custody and is assisting with investigations.
The Accra Regional Police Command said investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding the alleged threat and determine the appropriate action to be taken in accordance with the law.
The Command has urged the public to refrain from sharing unverified information about the matter while the investigation continues.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Minority Leader in Parliament Alexander Afenyo Markin has sued the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), Sammy Gyamfi, and Multimedia Group Limited over alleged defamatory comments made against him on the Newsfile programme.
In a writ filed at the High Court in Accra, Mr Afenyo Markin is seeking GH¢15 million in damages, an apology and retraction of the statements, among other reliefs.
The suit follows comments allegedly made by Mr Gyamfi during the Saturday, August 22, 2026 edition of Newsfile, hosted by Samson Lardy Anyenini.
According to the statement of claim, Mr Gyamfi described Mr Afenyo Markin as an “extortionist” while responding to a question about GoldBod’s reported profits and its position on losses arising from its operations.
The plaintiff claims that Mr Gyamfi repeated the allegation when the host sought clarification on whether he stood by the description.
Mr Afenyo Markin further claims that Mr Gyamfi challenged him to sue him and insisted that the allegation was true.
The plaintiff argues that the statements created the impression that he engages in extortion, uses his political influence to put improper pressure on public institutions and officials, and conducts himself in a manner inconsistent with the standards expected of a lawyer and public office holder.
He denies the allegations and maintains that he is not an extortionist and has never engaged in the conduct alleged by Mr Gyamfi.
The Minority Leader also argues that the comments were made maliciously and were presented as facts without evidence being disclosed.
He claims the statements have damaged his reputation, professional standing and public image, particularly because of his position as a senior political figure and legal practitioner.
The suit also names Multimedia Group Limited as a defendant because, according to the plaintiff, the alleged defamatory comments were broadcast through JoyNews and subsequently circulated on social media platforms, including X, Facebook and YouTube.
Mr Afenyo Markin claims Multimedia failed to stop the comments or deactivate Mr Gyamfi’s microphone after the allegations were made.
He is therefore asking the court to award him general, aggravated and exemplary damages, as well as GH¢15 million in compensation and legal costs.
He is also seeking an order compelling the defendants to issue a full, unconditional and unequivocal retraction and public apology.
The plaintiff wants the apology and retraction to be given similar prominence and reach as the original publication, including through JoyNews and the social media platforms where the comments were disseminated.
He is further seeking a permanent injunction preventing the defendants from repeating the alleged defamatory statements or words with a similar meaning.
The writ requires the defendants to enter an appearance within eight days after being served.
It warns that failure to do so could result in judgment being entered in their absence.
The case was filed by lawyer Paa Kwesi Abaidoo of Dehyena Chambers on behalf of Mr Afenyo Markin.
By: Jacob Aggrey
