Ghana's trade sector is heading into a week of open confrontation with the government. The Ghana Union of Traders' Associations (GUTA) has expressed grave concern over what it describes as severe disruptions to trade resulting from the implementation of the Publican AI system, warning that the situation is undermining business continuity across the country.

In a statement signed by its president, Clement Boateng, on Sunday, April 12, GUTA directed freight forwarders and clearing agents to cease payment of duties and lay down their tools from Monday, April 13, to Friday, April 17, 2026 a decision it said follows unsuccessful engagements with government over disruptions linked to the system's implementation at the country's ports.

The grievances are specific and accumulating. According to GUTA, traders across the country continue to face unpredictable and excessively high duty assessments, prolonged delays in cargo clearance, mounting demurrage and rent charges, and the near absence of an effective and accessible system for resolving valuation disputes. The association has also advised its members to temporarily halt all importation activities until clarity and predictability are restored.

The Publican Trade Solution, an AI-based software deployed to help customs officers determine the real value of imported goods, has been at the centre of a growing storm since its full rollout at Ghana's ports of entry on March 11, 2026. A broad coalition of trade bodies warned at a joint press conference in Tema on March 30 that the system threatened lawful trade, investor confidence, and Ghana's standing as a regional trade hub, stressing that revenue generation should not come at the expense of predictable and transparent trade processes.

Critics have also questioned the system's internal logic. The President of the Association of Custom House Agents, Yaw Kyei, said the Publican AI rollout lacked stakeholder consultation and could trigger smuggling, under-invoicing, and operational chaos if left unaddressed. Another concern raised is that the AI accepts its own valuations when higher than human assessments but disregards them when lower, a one-sided asymmetry that traders say makes business planning impossible.

The government has defended the rollout. Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem said that after a pilot deployment at Tema, Publican was able to flag many declarations, generating an average of $3 million a day in flagged under-declarations.

But GUTA is not persuaded. The Traders Advocacy Group Ghana has also initiated legal proceedings against the relevant authorities, signalling a potential escalation of the dispute if concerns are not addressed promptly. With tools laid down, duties unpaid, and lawyers now involved, the next move belongs to Accra.

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