Government’s newly introduced artificial intelligence-driven trade technology, Publican AI, has generated an additional $300 million-plus in assessed customs duties between January and July 2026, the Minister for Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, has revealed to Parliament.
Delivering the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2026 Budget on Thursday, 23 July 2026, Dr Forson explained that the platform was fully operational by March 2026 and has already yielded substantial financial returns for the state.
“Solution was fully deployed in March twenty-six and the results has been remarkable. Mister Speaker, between the pilot phase, January and February and the full roll out phase, March to seventeen July twenty twenty-six the publican AI trade solution increased assessed customs collection by over three hundred million dollars. Representing seventeen point five percent uplift over the values originally declared by importers,” he stated.
The Minister noted that the system successfully optimizes import valuations and drives up state revenue without causing bottlenecks in cargo processing.
“Mr Speaker publican increased the aggregate declared costs insurance and fruit value of imports by approximately six point three percent but increased the assessed collection by seventeen point five percent,” he told the House.
Since its launch, the cutting-edge platform has scrutinized around 366,000 import declarations. Approximately one out of every four filings — 24% — flagged multiple valuation risk indicators, prompting further inspection by customs officers.
“Since deployment Mister Speaker the system has analyzed approximately three hundred and sixty-six thousand import declarations. Nearly one in every four representing twenty-four percent triggered more than one valuation risk indicator requiring further review by customs officials. Before the deployment of the publican AI, many of these declarations would have been cleared without scrutiny leading to substantially revenue losses,” Dr Forson said.
He emphasized that the initial months following the full implementation demonstrated the platform’s transformative capability in safeguarding state resources.
“Mr Speaker the positive impact on customs revenue collection has been a has been massive. Mister Speaker, in March twenty twenty-six alone publican increased the assessed collection by seventy-three point four four million United States dollars representing an uplift of twenty-five point seven percent. Mister Speaker this was followed by additional assessed collection of fifty-one point six three million in April twenty-six,” he stated.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
