High charges hampering trade— Shippers
Players in the shipping industry have identified high charges at the ports as one of the major challenges confronting their operations in the country.
Advertisement
They explained that such charges, as a matter of urgency, needed to be addressed at the ports to encourage shippers to contribute to the growth of the country’s economy.
“We are calling on the government and other stakeholders in the shipping industry to charge reasonable fees to address the high charges at the ports,” the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA), Mrs Sylvia Asana Dauda Owu, said.
She made the remarks when the Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, visited the Takoradi Branch of the GSA. The visit was part of a two-day familiarisation visit to agencies and departments operating under the Transport Ministry in the Western Region.
She said the authority’s mandate was to promote and protect the interest of Ghanaian shippers in relation to the demand side of shipping.
Activities of the authority
She mentioned that some of the authority’s activities included the establishment of shipper committees across the country, education of shippers, resolution of the problems of shippers, visitation and outreach to shippers in areas such as Tarkwa, Bogos and Elubo in the Western Region and Swedru, Kasoa and Mankessim in the Central Region.
She also mentioned the operation of shipper complaints and support at all of the country’s entry points such as Kotoka International Airport, Aflao, Paga and Elubo borders as well as the Takoradi port.
Infrastructural projects
Mrs Owu cited some infrastructural projects that the GSA was undertaking in the Western and Central regions.
In the Western Region, she noted that the GSA had completed phase one of the Takoradi Logistics Platform (TLP) at Funko, near Takoradi made up of two large warehouses and occupied by Stellar Logistics Ghana Limited.
She said the land size for the TLP was about 32 acres and that the second phase of the project would contain facilities such as platforms for pipes for the oil and gas industry.
The Deputy CEO indicated that GSA had acquired a 24-acre land at Akatakyiwa in the Central Region to establish a freight park that would serve as a one-stop-shop for all trucks which plied the Abidjan-Tema corridor and provide a critical interface for an efficient logistics value chain.
Government’s commitment
For his part, Mr Asiamah lauded the contribution of the authority to the development of the trade and shipping industry in Ghana.
Under the current administration, he said the GSA and the Ghana Maritime Authority would be given the needed support to play their regulatory roles of the maritime industry effectively.
“You can come to the ministry for us to discuss issues confronting the GSA for us to see the way forward. I can assure you of the ministry’s support,” he added. —GB