By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Aflao
‘Put Ghana First” was the central message delivered by the Acting Commissioner of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Mr. Aaron Kanor, during his one-day working visit to the Aflao Collection in the Volta Region on Friday, 29th May, 2026. The visit, which was the Commissioner’s maiden one after his appointment as the Acting Commissioner, was aimed among other things not only at fraternizing with the stakeholders of the Collection but also encouraging his officers to redouble their efforts at collecting the needed revenue for the country’s developmental efforts.
The Acting Commissioner was officially received at the Aflao Border by the Sector Commander of the Aflao Collection, Assistant Commissioner (AC), Mr. Emmanuel Reginald Duh, together with officers of the Customs Division as well as other officers of the border security agencies. Also present to receive the Acting Commissioner was Ghana’s Deputy High Commissioner to Togo, H.E. Solobaggie Kumordzie.
Mr. Kanor inspected a ceremonial guard of honour jointly mounted by nine (9) officers of the Aflao Collection selected from both the Customs Division and Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) before proceeding with other engagements for the day.
The working visit formed part of efforts by the newly appointed Acting Commissioner to update himself on operations within the Aflao Sector, strengthen stakeholder engagement and also assess ongoing revenue mobilization, enforcement and trade facilitation activities and efforts along the Ghana–Togo border corridor.
As part of the visit, Mr. Kanor paid a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Aflao Traditional Area and President of the Aflao Traditional Council, Adzongaga Torgbui Amenya Fiti IV where discussions centred on collaboration between the Customs authorities, traditional leadership and the border community in ensuring peaceful and lawful trade activities along the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) corridor.
The Commissioner and his entourage crossed into the Togo side at the capital, Lome where he engaged officials of the Togo Customs administration represented by their Director in-charge of the Golf Region, Mr. Komi Tekou to familiarize himself with their operations aimed at strengthening the bilateral co-operation between the two neighbouring customs institutions and countries.
Mr. Aaron Kanor subsequently held a meeting with Customs officers at the border, where he urged officers to uphold professionalism, discipline and integrity in the discharge of their duties. He emphasized that Customs officers must remain committed to protecting national revenue while facilitating legitimate trade, emphasising that ‘Putting Ghana First’ must be remembered in the discharge of their duties and responsibilities to the state at all times.
Addressing members of the National Cross-Border Women Traders’ Association in (NCBWTA) at Aflao during a durbar organized in his honour, the Acting Commissioner again reiterated the importance of ‘putting Ghana First’ in all their trade and border operations. According to him, all stakeholders including Customs officers, freight forwarders, transport operators, and traders must contribute towards protecting Ghana’s economic interests by promoting lawful trade, reducing smuggling and ensuring compliance with customs procedures.
Mr. Kanor assured the women traders of Customs’ readiness to deepen stakeholder engagement and improve communication to address some of the numerous challenges affecting cross-border trade in the area including delays, multiple checkpoints on the highways as well as some procedural bottlenecks being encountered.
The Acting Commissioner encouraged the traders not only to embrace formal trade systems but also take advantage of opportunities under the ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to improve their lot in their businesses.
As part of the operational assessment tour, the Commissioner later visited the Kpoglu and Akanu border posts under the Aflao Collection to inspect activities and interact with officers stationed there. The tour also extended to Havi and Dabala checkpoints where Mr. Kanor also assessed enforcement operations and revenue mobilization activities within these border posts.
The visit concluded with a renewed commitment among Customs authorities, traditional leaders, security agencies and trade associations to work together in promoting efficient border management, revenue protection and trade facilitation for national development.
