The Traders Advocacy Group Ghana has issued a dramatic warning over Parliament’s approval of a controversial agreement between the Ghana Revenue Authority and TRUEDARE Investments Limited to introduce a digital customs tracking and AI-powered audit system.
In a strongly worded statement released on December 29, 2025, the group questioned the transparency, value for money, and long-term national risks embedded in the deal — a project publicly described as coming “at no additional cost to the state,” yet one TAGG fears may ultimately burden traders, importers and ordinary consumers.
According to the group, the new system is being introduced to operate alongside Ghana’s existing Integrated Customs Management System, a platform rolled out in 2020 that already manages cargo tracking, risk assessment and post-clearance audit functions. TAGG reminded policymakers that ICUMS was specifically created to plug revenue leakages, simplify clearance procedures and reduce costs across the trade chain.
“If government now insists ICUMS has major gaps that require a second parallel system, then the full technical justification must be laid before the public,” the group demanded, noting that no independent expert evaluation has been disclosed to prove the necessity of an additional platform.
TAGG warned that running two customs systems at once could create disorder rather than efficiency — increasing fees, bureaucracy and operational confusion in direct contradiction to the principles of trade facilitation.
The group further revealed that its own checks on TRUEDARE Investments Limited raise even deeper red flags. Corporate records cited by TAGG show that the company was incorporated in Cyprus on December 28, 2024, with a declared business focus on general trade — not customs technology, AI systems or large-scale digital inspection infrastructure.
With minimal issued share capital and no publicly verifiable history in managing national-level customs or cargo-tracking systems, TAGG said the company lacks a proven track record worthy of such a sensitive contract.
“In the absence of demonstrable expertise, credible references and full disclosure of ownership and beneficial control, entrusting a critical national digital mandate to a newly incorporated offshore entity is dangerously premature,” the statement cautioned.
The group also challenged the much-repeated assurance that the deal will incur “no cost to the state,” describing the claim as misleading and unrealistic.
“In trade facilitation, someone always pays,” TAGG declared — questioning whether new fees will quietly be imposed on consignments, containers or transactions, and whether those costs will eventually resurface in higher market prices for consumers.
TAGG is demanding full clarity on TRUEDARE’s remuneration structure, any revenue-sharing arrangements and the total projected financial exposure over the lifespan of the contract — insisting that the agreement must be subjected to intense public scrutiny before implementation.
