By Adnan Adams Mohammed
Tech-driven customs reforms have propelled the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to a record-breaking GH¢6.1 billion revenue collection for July 2026, even as traditional authority calls for broader tax net expansion into the informal economy.
The milestone follows the full April 2026 deployment of the Publican Artificial Intelligence (AI) trade valuation platform. The modern system has boosted customs revenues significantly from a pre-deployment monthly average of roughly GH¢4 billion.
Detailing the financial gains during a delegation visit to the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, GRA Commissioner-General Dr. Anthony Kwasi Sarpong emphasized the upward trajectory of national revenue mobilization.
“The full implementation started in April 2026. So, between April and June, we are happy to report, and as the Finance Minister, Dr. Ato Forson, also echoed in Parliament, that we are collecting about GH¢1.3 to GH¢1.5 billion a month in addition to what we used to collect,” Dr. Sarpong stated.
“Before the implementation, we were collecting about GH¢4 billion a month. As of June, we were collecting GH¢5.5 billion. In the month of July, we collected GH¢6.1 billion, which means that our custom reforms are working,” he added.
Expand Net to Informal Workers, Plug Revenue Leakages
Welcoming the delegation, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, commended the revenue authority’s leadership for visible improvements in revenue mobilization while urging them to broaden their focus beyond formal sector employees.
“The focus has always been on workers in the formal sector, while there are many others in the informal sector who can be educated on the need to pay taxes to support national development,” the Asantehene stated.
To bring informal workers seamlessly into the tax fold and reduce reliance on external borrowing, the King recommended organizing informal operators into structured bodies.
“Groups such as hairdressers, mechanics, and drivers could be encouraged to form cooperatives to make it easier for them to be integrated into the tax system,” Otumfuo Osei Tutu II suggested, while cautioning that structural leakages must also be eliminated. “I have observed an improvement in revenue collection since the current Board and Management took over… Despite these gains, some leakages still exist, and I urge you to work at addressing them.”
Stakeholder Engagement and the Next Phase of Reforms
Addressing the Asantehene’s observations, GRA Board Chairman Ricketts Hagan reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to engaging stakeholders and easing the adoption of new compliance platforms.
“There are new systems, including the Publican AI, which have been helping our efforts. I’m sure you heard noise about not being able to comprehend, but people are beginning to understand the system,” Mr. Hagan explained.
Building on its customs automation successes, the GRA is currently scaling its digital strategy into retail taxation. The next phase centers on modernizing Value Added Tax (VAT) administration using real-time digital integration and automated transaction recording across commercial enterprises nationwide.
“That is going to be a game changer in our VAT administration,” Dr. Sarpong noted, citing recently approved legislative support for point-of-sale system integration aimed at securing a transparent, tech-driven business environment for long-term economic growth.
