The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) says the use of Publican AI in the valuation of imported goods has helped increase customs revenue by more than GH¢2 billion a month.

GRA Commissioner-General, Anthony Sarpong, disclosed that the Authority collected GH¢6.1 billion in customs revenue in July 2026, compared with about GH¢4 billion recorded monthly before the full implementation of the artificial intelligence-driven system.

He said customs revenue also increased from GH¢4 billion to GH¢5.5 billion in June before reaching GH¢6.1 billion in July.

Dr Sarpong made the disclosure when the Board and Management of the GRA paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at the Manhyia Palace.

According to him, the full implementation of Publican AI began in April 2026 as part of measures to improve the valuation of imported goods and strengthen revenue mobilisation from import duties.

“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,” he said.

Dr Sarpong said the increase showed that the reforms being introduced by the Authority were yielding results.

He attributed the improvement to the cooperation of importers, the business community and GRA staff in the implementation of the new system.

Meanwhile, the Commissioner-General disclosed that the GRA was preparing to introduce another major reform aimed at improving VAT collection.

He said only about four out of every 10 businesses currently pay VAT, while the remaining six either do not charge the tax, fail to remit what they collect or do not pay for other reasons.

Dr Sarpong said Parliament had approved a project that would allow the government to mandate the installation of devices at shops and other service points to improve VAT administration.

“That is going to be a game changer in our VAT administration,” he said.

He added that the GRA would engage businesses and the public ahead of the implementation of the VAT reforms.

The Commissioner-General also announced plans to introduce a taxpayer or consumer reward scheme to encourage members of the public to demand VAT receipts.

Under the proposed scheme, individuals who collect VAT receipts could receive rewards from the GRA or government.

He said further details of the reward programme would be announced at a later date.

Meanwhile, the GRA reported a billion cedis in revenue in April,

Mr Anthony Kofi Sarpong, while speaking at the 10th Ghana CEO Summit, indicated that the revenue marks a significant improvement in tax collection, compliance, administrative efficiency and digital reforms targeted at strengthening the country’s economy.

Highlighting the massive improvement in revenue collection compared to the same period last year, the Commissioner attributed the increase to the introduction of the Republican Artificial Intelligence system at the ports.

The “Republican AI” (also called Publican AI) system is a Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) initiative introduced in early 2026 to automate customs valuation at the ports to modernise operations and block revenue leakages.

“The Republican Artificial Intelligence system introduced at the ports helped improve compliance and blocked revenue leakages. “Indeed, the results for the first two months of deploying the AI are amazing and promising. In April alone, we added GHS1 billion to our revenue generation for customs,” the Commissioner noted.

He noted that the GH¢1 billion collection in April demonstrates the potential of a more efficient and modernised tax system, but stressed that broader structural reforms are still required to sustain and expand gains in revenue mobilisation.

“Our aspiration for a reset and transformed economy is not attainable if we fail to mobilise the needed domestic revenue as one of the most important catalysts for national development,” he said

He went on to highlight the need for a sustained revenue mobilisation channel to ensure development as the country makes efforts to reduce and gradually cut heavy reliance on external financial inflows.

“Education and development of Ghana rest and thrive on the provision of relevant enablers, including infrastructure, energy, a well-trained and equipped workforce, and efficient public services,” he stated, underscoring the importance of sustained revenue flows to support national priorities.

The Commissioner-General warned that reliance on external financing is increasingly uncertain, making domestic revenue mobilisation a matter of economic sovereignty.

“The alternative to mobilising domestic revenue is dependence on financing that is no longer reliably open or available,” he said.