The Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has officially opened its first Command Border Post in the Central Region at Antado, near Cape Coast, in a move designed to support trade facilitation through the corridor and protect local businesses against illicit trade and unlawful entry of goods .
The facility represents a significant step in strengthening Ghana’s border enforcement architecture, particularly along the Central Region corridor, and signals the government’s commitment to clamping down on revenue leakages that have plagued the country’s borders.
A Deliberately Balanced Approach
At the official opening of the post, Commissioner General of the Ghana Revenue Authority, Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, assured traders that the facility will not be used to hinder trade in the region, emphasising that the government would provide the necessary support to ensure officers maximise revenue collection for the State .
“We are not here to hinder trade. Our nation depends on the legitimate flow of goods; they feed our factories, stock our shops, and connect us to our neighbours. Our approach at Antado, and throughout the Customs Division, is therefore deliberately balanced,” Mr Sarpong stated .
He added that the Customs Division facilitates legitimate trade through faster clearance, predictable procedures, and trained officers who understand ECOWAS protocols, transit conventions, and the rights of carriers .
The Commissioner General concluded that “the Command Post is the physical expression of that balance — present enough to deter, professional enough to welcome, and ready enough to act” .
A Signal to Neighbouring Countries and Trading Partners
Mr Sarpong noted that the unveiling of the facility signals to neighbouring countries and trading partners that the Customs Division is “on this corridor, awake, alert, and accountable” .
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny of Ghana’s border operations following a series of high-profile interdictions of transit cargo. In February 2026, the GRA intercepted 18 articulated trucks declared as goods in transit to Niger at the Akanu and Aflao border posts . Investigations revealed the trucks were moving without mandatory Customs human escorts, and post-interception examinations uncovered material discrepancies in declared unit values, tariff classifications, and weights, significantly understating the tax liability . The case exposed systemic control weaknesses and alleged human complicity, with five Customs officers interdicted .
Background: Ghana’s Customs Architecture and Regional Integration
The Customs Division of the GRA is a paramilitary organisation that forms part of the country’s national security architecture, with offices strategically located at all points of entry and exit, including harbours, airports, land borders, and parcel posts . Its three-fold mandate encompasses mobilisation of revenue from imports and exports, facilitation of legitimate trade, and provision of public security and safety .
Ghana’s commitment to trade facilitation is underscored by its implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) and the Common External Tariff (CET), alongside its 68.9% implementation status of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement as of November 2024 . The country has also introduced systems such as the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), the GPS-based E-Track system for transit cargo tracking, and the Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) programme .
Ghana shares a total border length of approximately 2,200 kilometres with Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, with more than 150 border crossing points, including unofficial posts . Land border customs clearance accounts for about 20 to 30 per cent of total imports and exports, with transit cargo constituting 4 to 6 per cent of the total, making Ghana a key gateway to landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso and Mali .
A Broader Push for Border Enforcement Reform
The Antado Command Border Post forms part of a broader government strategy to strengthen customs enforcement across Ghana’s entry points. In June 2026, Customs Commissioner Aaron Kanor assured cross-border women traders in Aflao of measures to address illegal extortion and improve trade facilitation, stressing that there are officially only four Customs checkpoints on the import route into Ghana .
Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, has also raised concerns about revenue leakages, alleging that some Customs officers collude with importers to deliberately undervalue goods and short-change the State . The government has responded by implementing measures including a ban on the land transit of cooking oil, enhanced monitoring of transactions originating from land collection points, and strengthened oversight of transit operations .
The Antado Command Post is expected to contribute to these enforcement efforts while supporting Ghana’s ambition to become a more efficient and competitive trading hub under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), for which the secretariat is headquartered in Accra .
