The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has inaugurated a Preliminary Investigation Committee on Seized Foreign Currency as part of efforts to address the movement of undeclared foreign currency through Ghana’s airports and border points.
The initiative, according to the Governor of the Bank of Ghana, Dr Johnson Pandit Asiama, is intended to close a significant gap in Ghana’s financial system by strengthening mechanisms for monitoring and investigating foreign currency seized by the authorities.
He said substantial amounts of foreign currency were reportedly moving through the country’s borders without the required declaration.
Dr Asiama said undeclared currency flows posed risks to the integrity of Ghana’s financial sector, creating opportunities for money laundering, tax evasion and other illicit financial activities.
“Undeclared currency flows create room for money laundering, tax evasion and other illicit activity,” he said.
He added that such movements also weaken the financial intelligence available to authorities to monitor the financial system, while currency moved outside declared channels diverts funds away from the formal market.
The Bank of Ghana is working with the Ghana Revenue Authority, Ghana Airports Company Limited, National Security, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO), the Financial Intelligence Centre and the Attorney General’s Office to safeguard Ghana’s borders, markets and resources.