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Ho Sector of GRA Customs honours retiring officers

The Ho Sector of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Division has honored three officers whose years of service has ended.

Date Created : 6/5/2023 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Samuel Akumatey/Ghanadistricts.com

A sendoff party was organized for the trio, and was graced by Assistant Commissioner of Customs Felicia Azumah, Esquire, the Sector Commander.

The retiring officers were Chief Revenue Officer Rebecca Opare-Sarpong, RAII Eric Yao Harrison, and Senior Revenue Officer Edward Aggrey-Fyn, all who are exiting after serving with the Authority for over three decades.

CRO Rebecca Opare-Sarpong begun as an accounts officer in Elubo when she joined the Authority then established as the Customs Excise and Preventive Services, in the year 1990.

A citation to her honour said through hard work, she earned a position as an Assistant Collector in 2004, and she was celebrated for her resolve to take up leadership and excel.

She had served in various parts of the country, worked with all the Customs regimes, and was hailed as one with exceptional customer care who easily overshot targets.

“At the Ho Collection, you were Officer-In-Charge for KPB, Batume Junction, Nyive, and Shia Border Posts. Your footprint of excellent leadership and exploits in achieving revenue targets are trails of success that are still unmatched,” the citation read.

RAII Eric Harrison entered the then Service as a Preventive Officer Posted to Aflao, where was drafted into the revenue task force for his “bravery and intelligence gathering.”

He had spent a total of 22 out of his more than 30 years with the Service, serving at the Aflao Collection, and joined the Ho Collection in his later years where he would clamor among young officers and in 2020 be crowned the Overall Best Junior Officer for the Collection.

“You are recognized as an outstanding, disciplined, and consistent professional, whose efforts have played a vital role in maintaining the high standards and integrity of the GRA Customs Division,” his citation read.

Senior Revenue Officer Aggrey-Fyn had joined the erstwhile service in 1990 as a grade four Junior Collection Assistant after he had completed basic paramilitary training and customs procedure, and “have since not looked back and progressed through the ranks to attain a senior Revenue Officer rank,” according to his citation.

He was described as “a well-travelled officer” that served the nation at the GRA’s various collections, holding various positions at Aflao, the KIA, Tema, WA, and Kumasi where he won several awards of excellence, most notably the World Customs Organization's Best Officer Award at the Kumasi Collection as the Second in Command.

“You served as a teacher and trainer of trainers in customs inspection and a lead resource person in World Customs Organization lessons. You have spearheaded an international collaboration with Customs of Togo and Ghana, and by so doing, helping to promote cross-border security collaboration,” the citation said.

The event also honored Chief Revenue Officer Godwin Ziggah, who was transferred to the Ho Collection in 2017, and is on onward transfer.

He had been Officer in Charge of the Asikuma Check point and rose to become Head of Preventive for the Ho Collection and was celebrated for his exceptional leadership that helping the collection exceed targets.

The event was a hearty and emotional moment as officers reminisced on working experiences and memories with the retiring officers, who in turn parted nuggets of age-old wisdom unto the younger peers.

They advised colleagues in the Service to sacrifice hard work and endure in the spirit of patriotism.

There were presentations of citations and gifts by the various collections they had served, and testimonies of dedicated service.

The Sector Commander on her part thanked the retirees for, “all the years of devotion to Mother Ghana," and said it was worthy to celebrate them for enduring the labor.

Madam Azuma commended the individual officers for their contributions, and said the void created by their departure was already being felt as they retreated to their homes and families.

“Thank you for all the knowledge you imparted. Indeed, your departure here would leave a vacuum because we are short staffed and to see you with rich experience leave us, it is not easy for us. On behalf of the management, we are proud of you for working side by side with us for over 30 years. On behalf of the clients, traders, we say thank you.

“You have served your mother Ghana very well. Thank you for making your office better and as you move on, we wish you all the best and say thank you.”

Present at the event were some families and close relations of the retirees, and some clients of the Ho Sector including traders.