As a stakeholder closely engaged with cross-border trade in Ghana, I have observed with growing concern the increasing role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in customs valuation at our ports and borders. While digitalization is often celebrated as a pathway to efficiency and transparency, my experience and that of many traders suggests a more troubling reality.
AI-driven valuation, combined with burdensome administrative procedures, is gradually emerging as a disguised non-tariff barrier, deepening the frustrations of Ghana’s trading community.
At the heart of this issue is what I describe as disguised benchmark valuation. In principle, customs duties should be based on the actual transaction value of goods, in line with global standards set by the World Trade Organization.
However, in practice, AI systems appear to impose predetermined or algorithmically generated benchmark values that often override what traders genuinely pay for their goods.
For many of us operating within Ghana’s trading ecosystem, this is not just a technical adjustment it is a direct economic burden. Goods are frequently assigned values far above their purchase price, resulting in inflated duties that erode profits and reduce competitiveness. The lack of transparency surrounding how these values are determined only worsens the situation. Traders are left questioning whether they are engaging with a fair system or an invisible pricing mechanism designed primarily to maximize revenue.
A Trader’s Ordeal: When AI Valuation Overrides Reality.
Consider the experience of a cross-border trader operating between Nigeria and Ghana. After purchasing a consignment of goods from Ebutero Export Market in Lagos, she obtained a valid transactional receipt clearly indicating the actual cost of the goods. With all documentation in place, she transported her goods through Aflao into Ghana, expecting a routine customs clearance process.
However, upon arrival, the customs valuation system driven by AI—assigned a significantly higher benchmark value to her goods, far above the price stated on her receipt.
The duty calculated was therefore inflated, placing an unexpected financial burden on her business. Despite presenting her receipt and explaining the transaction, the system’s valuation appeared fixed and non-negotiable at the point of entry.
Determined to seek redress, she initiated the appeal process through the Ghana Revenue Authority. What followed was a cycle of delays: repeated submissions of documents, requests for verification, and prolonged waiting periods without clear feedback. Each day her goods remained uncleared, she incurred additional costs—storage, transportation risks, and potential loss of customers.
After several unsuccessful attempts to resolve the issue at the border, she was eventually instructed to travel from Aflao to Accra to pursue further resolution at higher administrative offices. This directive introduced a new layer of cost: transportation expenses, accommodation, time away from business operations, and uncertainty of outcome.
For a small-scale trader, this journey is not trivial. It transforms a simple valuation dispute into a costly administrative burden. In the end, she is faced with a difficult choice: either absorb the inflated duty to quickly release her goods or commit additional time and resources to a process that offers no guaranteed fairness.
This experience reflects a broader systemic problem where AI-driven valuation and procedural delays combine to shift the burden of inefficiency onto the trader.
Beyond individual experiences, the structural implications are profound. While the Ghana Revenue Authority maintains that appeal systems and conflict resolution centers exist, in practice, these mechanisms often function as instruments of delay rather than channels of justice.
Challenging a customs valuation involves multiple bureaucratic layers documentation, verification, and prolonged waiting periods with no defined timelines. For traders dealing in perishable or fast-moving goods, such delays translate directly into financial loss. In this context, time itself becomes a hidden tariff.
The opacity of AI systems further complicates the situation. Unlike traditional valuation disputes, where traders could engage officers directly, AI-generated outcomes appear final and unquestionable. This creates a “black box” environment where accountability is blurred and trust in the system erodes.
The combined effect of disguised benchmark valuation and procedural inefficiency is the emergence of a layered non-tariff barrier. While not explicitly designed to restrict trade, it produces similar outcomes: increased costs, reduced competitiveness, and exclusion of small-scale traders—especially women, who form a significant portion of cross-border trade.
These challenges also threaten Ghana’s broader trade ambitions under the African Continental Free Trade Area. The success of regional integration depends on reducing barriers, not embedding new ones within digital and administrative systems. If left unchecked, AI-driven customs processes risk becoming instruments of digital protectionism, quietly undermining trade liberalization efforts.
It is important to emphasize that AI itself is not the problem. When properly governed, it can enhance efficiency, reduce corruption, and modernize border operations. The real issue lies in how these systems are designed and implemented. Without transparency, accountability, and stakeholder inclusion, technology can amplify existing inequities.
In my view, urgent reforms are needed. AI valuation systems must be made more transparent, with clear explanations for assigned values. Appeal processes should be simplified, digitized, and time-bound to ensure timely resolution. Most importantly, traders must be recognized as partners in the trade ecosystem, not passive subjects of regulatory systems.
The cry of Ghana’s trading industry is not against modernization—it is against marginalization. As we embrace digital transformation at our ports, we must ensure that innovation serves fairness and inclusion. Otherwise, what is presented as progress may become a sophisticated barrier subtle in design, but deeply felt in practice.