Minority Leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has called for stricter safeguards in the deployment of artificial intelligence systems at Ghana’s ports, cautioning that the technology must operate within clearly defined legal and procedural frameworks.
Speaking during an engagement between the Minority Caucus and the Ghana Employers’ Association on Tuesday, March 31, 2026, Afenyo-Markin stressed that AI-driven customs systems should not be rushed into operation without proper oversight.
According to him, any AI system used in revenue collection or enforcement must be built on a rational duty structure, independently validated, and supported by a transparent and time-bound appeals process.
“AI in a revenue or enforcement context must meet the relevant legal, technical and procedural standards. It must operate against a rational and reformed duty schedule, be subject to independent validation, and be accompanied by a transparent, accessible and time-bound appeals mechanism,” he stated.
He raised concerns that these key safeguards were not fully in place before the rollout of the AI-powered customs assessment system. In particular, he questioned the timing of plans to introduce an appeals process, suggesting that it reflects inadequate consultation with stakeholders.
“The fact that the affected business community only learned of an appeals process being developed just before our engagement is itself a statement on the quality of consultation that has attended this deployment,” he noted.
While reaffirming the Minority’s support for leveraging artificial intelligence to improve efficiency, reduce corruption, and boost revenue mobilisation, Afenyo-Markin cautioned that poorly regulated systems could deepen existing challenges rather than solve them.
“An AI enforcement system operating against an unreformed duty schedule, without a functioning appeals process, does not produce fairer outcomes. It produces the same unjust outcomes, more efficiently and at a greater scale,” he warned.
He added that the Minority will push for full parliamentary scrutiny of the AI customs framework to ensure accountability and fairness before any further expansion of the system.
