The Ghana Revenue Authority, (GRA) says the Sunday morning fire at its Kwame Nkrumah Circle office did not result in the loss of any data.
In a statement, the GRA also said reports that it had lost cash in the fire was “fake news.”
“Data is safe and no loss of cash or cheques have been recorded after a fire outbreak… A formal assessment of the extent of damage is set to begin after a fire outbreak at VAT House, the Accra Kwame Nkrumah Circle substation of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), was brought under control on Sunday, 1 December.”
The fire, which the GRA says started around 4 am on Sunday, resulted in “extensive structural damage to its ICT centre.”
But the authority noted that “existing systems backup does not only ensure the recovery of files but also business continuity.”
“In essence, our core data is safe, as all GRA files are automatically backed up at an offsite data centre,” Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Acting Commissioner for Domestic Tax Revenue Division, is quoted as saying.
The Ghana National Fire Service has since begun investigations to determine the real cause of the fire.
“No casualty had been recorded” in the fire, according to the GRA.
The GRA also assured that clients would be able to do business at the Adabraka Office of the GRA.
Below is the full statement:
GRA fire: Data is safe, no money stolen
Data is safe and no loss of cash or cheques have been recorded after a fire outbreak at VAT House, a sub station of the Ghana Revenue Authority at Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra, caused extensive structural damage to its ICT center, official sources have said.
Formal assessment of the extent of damage is set to begin after a fire outbreak at VAT House, the Accra Kwame Nkrumah Circle sub station of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), was brought under control on Sunday, 1 December.
Officials have assured the media that GRA’s existing systems backup does not only ensure the recovery of files but also business continuity. “In essence, our core data is safe, as all GRA files are automatically backed up at an offsite data center” said Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, Acting Commissioner for Domestic Tax Revenue Division.
Aside from a visible structural damage to the GRA Circle branch building, official report from the Ghana National Fire Service on Sunday afternoon indicated that no casualty had been recorded. The fire is estimated to have started at around 4 am on Sunday.
In the meantime, GRA commissioner and Board Chair, Mr. Ammishaddai Owusu-Amoah, and Professor Stephen Adei, respectively, have debunked, as “fake news”, reports of the loss of cash and/or cheques in the fire, following what they noted was a “mischievous attempt to undermine confidence in an already complex process of dealing with the situation”.
The Ghana National Fire Service has begun investigations to determine the real cause of the GRA Circle branch fire, and GRA officials have pleaded with the public and the media to verify information related to the incident from official sources.
CNR
