Fidelity Bank calls for harmonised customs systems to boost regional trade

Fidelity Bank Ghana has called for harmonised customs systems across West Africa to facilitate cross-border trade and reduce business costs.

The bank said fragmented customs procedures and poor-quality data were undermining trade growth and limiting the competitiveness of businesses, particularly small-scale traders and women-owned enterprises.

Mr Aaron Ameyaw, Director of Banking Operations at Fidelity Bank, made the call at the Breaking Barriers to Trade Conference in Accra, where he spoke on the theme: “Reimagining Trade, Influence and Institutional Legacy.”

He said traders continued to face difficulties moving goods across borders despite regional integration efforts because of differing customs procedures and regulatory requirements.

Mr Ameyaw said women traders importing goods from neighbouring countries, including Togo and Nigeria, were particularly affected by cumbersome administrative processes that increased their operating costs and slowed commercial activities.

He called for collaboration among governments, regulators and private sector stakeholders to develop harmonised customs frameworks to support seamless regional trade.

Mr Ameyaw said harmonising customs regimes remained a long-standing issue requiring urgent attention to enable businesses to benefit fully from regional commerce.

He said the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in trade and commerce could transform business operations, but its effectiveness depended on the availability of accurate and reliable data.

“In Ghana, data is a problem. These AI machine learners thrive on data.

And so if your data is not correct, you have big issues,” he said.

Mr Ameyaw welcomed the introduction of the Publican AI System in early 2026 to complement Ghana’s Integrated Customs Management System at the ports.

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He said the system had contributed to revenue growth of more than $300 million, demonstrating the potential of technology to improve trade facilitation and revenue mobilisation.

“The good outweighs the bad when it comes to AI. It is important that we get the fundamentals right. Once we get it right, it creates opportunities.

And for us at Fidelity, we are always doing that,” he said.

Mr Ameyaw said Fidelity Bank had also deployed robotic process automation in its reconciliation operations, improving efficiency and allowing staff to focus on higher-value activities.

The conference also focused on measures to promote inclusive enterprise development, particularly among women-owned businesses.

Mr Alex Agyei-Amponsah, Director of SME Banking at Fidelity Bank, said women-owned enterprises accounted for between 38 and 46 per cent of businesses in the region but continued to face structural constraints to growth.

He said many women entrepreneurs had to balance business expansion with family responsibilities despite their ambitions to grow their enterprises.

Mr Agyei-Amponsah said the Fidelity Young Entrepreneurs Fund supported women and youth entrepreneurs through financing, business incubation and capacity-building programmes.

He said the programme targeted entrepreneurs aged 18 to 40, with women eligible up to age 45, and helped beneficiaries develop market-ready businesses.

The programme also supported beneficiaries to meet regulatory and compliance requirements for accessing local and international markets.

r Agyei-Amponsah said group lending was another intervention helping entrepreneurs access business opportunities that might otherwise be beyond their reach.

He cited a member of the Federation of Associations of Ghana Exporters who participated in a yam export contract to Canada through group financing, gaining export experience and building capacity for future opportunities.

Mr Agyei-Amponsah said the interventions formed part of Fidelity Bank’s efforts to support inclusive economic growth and expand access to trade opportunities.

SOURCE:GBN