The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has expressed concern over the implementation of the new Publican AI system at the country’s ports, citing a lack of stakeholder engagement.
Speaking on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen show, GUTA President Clement Boateng said traders were not informed about the rollout of the system prior to its implementation.
According to him, although the initiative was announced in the 2026 Budget, key stakeholders were not adequately engaged before it was deployed.
“We were not even aware of the project’s implementation until it had already started. No one informed us. In the 2026 Budget, the Minister announced that AI would be implemented in January, which meant there should have been stakeholder engagement beforehand,” he stated.
He further noted that even during the pilot phase, stakeholders were not involved until February 1, when they were finally invited for engagement.
“At that meeting, we raised our concerns, but they only explained their intentions to fully deploy the project without addressing our issues,” he added.
Mr Boateng said concerns raised in subsequent meetings with authorities have yet to yield any concrete outcomes.
He stressed the need for proper consultation and collaboration, emphasizing that the private sector plays a critical role in driving economic growth and should be actively involved in such policy decisions.
GUTA has since outlined plans to take further action to draw government’s attention to the challenges facing importers and traders under the new system.
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