The Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), Ms. Julie Essiam, has resigned from her position.
Her resignation, submitted through Finance Minister-designate Cassiel Ato Forson, was addressed to the President on January 20, 2025.
Appointed by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on March 24, 2024, Ms. Essiam previously headed the GRA’s Support Services Division before assuming the top role.
Her resignation letter expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve and highlighted her tenure’s achievements.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this nation. Together with the incredible GRA team, we achieved historic revenue collection milestones, consistently exceeding monthly targets,” she stated.
Under her leadership, the GRA recorded revenue of GH₵152.977 billion in 2024, surpassing the annual target of GH₵145.998 billion by GH₵6.978 billion—representing a 4.8% surplus and achieving a tax-to-GDP ratio of 17.0%, higher than the 16.1% target. This marked a 35.3% nominal growth over 2023 performance.
Despite these successes, Ms. Essiam noted ongoing opportunities for reforms, including full implementation of the IMF structural benchmarks, the Integrated Tax Administration System (ITAS), and the Taxpayer Data Cleansing initiative.
She expressed gratitude to former President Akufo-Addo, former Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, and other officials for their support throughout her tenure.
Established in 2009, the GRA merges the Customs, Excise, and Preventive Service (CEPS), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Value Added Tax Service (VATS). Its core mandate is to ensure tax compliance, facilitate trade, and manage international agreements.