The United Kingdom and Ghana have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen cooperation between His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) on customs administration.
The agreement is to facilitate legitimate trade, strengthen compliance and contribute to economic growth by improving customs systems and trade processes.
The MoU marks a new phase in the longstanding partnership between HMRC and GRA, which have collaborated for more than a decade to strengthen tax administration, support compliance and improve revenue mobilisation in Ghana.
The two institutions will undertake customs capacity building and technical assistance, with an initial focus on strengthening the GRA’s Post Clearance Audit function.
The initiative will be delivered through HMRC’s Accelerate Trade Facilitation Programme, providing technical exchange, peer-to-peer learning and knowledge sharing, drawing on UK experience and international best practices in risk-based customs compliance.
The cooperation will initially focus on strengthening Post Clearance Audit, with scope for future collaboration in other priority areas of customs modernisation.
Post Clearance Audit enables customs authorities to verify the accuracy of declarations after goods have been released, helping to strengthen compliance while supporting efficient trade flows.
The MoU forms part of the wider UK-Ghana Growth Partnership, which seeks to promote sustainable economic growth, trade, investment and shared prosperity between the two countries.
Terri Sarch, the UK’s Development Director, said the agreement demonstrated the commitment of both countries to unlocking sustainable economic growth through practical cooperation.
She said the partnership would support efficient trade, stronger customs systems and the movement of goods across borders, while contributing to jobs, investment and shared prosperity.
Carol Bristow, the Director of Borders and Trade at HMRC, said modern customs administrations played an important role in supporting economic growth, protecting revenue and enabling legitimate trade.
The partnership, she said, would bring together the expertise of HMRC and the GRA to support Ghana’s customs reform priorities and strengthen effective border management.
“It will build on more than a decade of successful collaboration between HMRC and the Ghana Revenue Authority, opening a new chapter of cooperation on customs,” she said.
Ms Bristow noted that the partnership would create opportunities to share knowledge, develop capability and support sustainable, locally-led reform, adding that HMRC looked forward to working with its Ghanaian counterparts to deliver results for government, businesses and traders.
Mr Anthony Sarpong, the Commissioner-General, GRA, said effective customs administration was an important enabler of trade, investment and sustainable economic growth.
He said the partnership would support technical exchange and knowledge sharing as Ghana advanced its customs modernisation agenda.
“The initial focus on Post Clearance Audit responds to a priority area for GRA and will help enhance efficiency, improve risk management and deliver better outcomes for traders and government,” he said.
