Transport, logistics professionals welcome paperless system
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Ghana has applauded the government for the introduction of the paperless clearance system at the country’s ports.
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Even though the institute said the government was far-advanced in achieving its three-phase policy reform to make Ghana’s ports competitive on the continent, there was the need to equally remove all barriers on the roads.
“All human interfaces at the various barriers should be removed as a way of tackling corruption,” the President of the institute, Mr Ebo Hammond, told the Daily Graphic in an interview at the opening of a two-day workshop on fleet management in Accra.
The failure of the government to remove the barriers on the road had the potential of jeopardising the paperless system “because after goods have been cleared from the port, another major leg is road transport which needs to flow without hindrances,” Mr Hammond said.
“This system has been operating in countries such as Benin for a long time. So I don’t see why Ghana has delayed with that.
“As an institute, we are happy because when the government assumed office, we officially wrote to the authorities to consider the implementation of the paperless system,” he said.
Paperless system
The government began the implementation of the paperless clearing system on September 4, 2017 to speed up the process of clearing goods at the ports, while blocking revenue leakages.
Since its introduction, the system has been greeted with mixed reactions from port users.
Whereas some believe it is a laudable initiative, others think it is virtually the same as the old system and might not achieve its set targets, hence the need to halt it.
Meanwhile, the Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, recently stated that revenues from the ports increased from GH¢130 million recorded in the first week of September 2016 to GH¢213 million in the same period 2017.
Workshop
The two-day workshop was designed to equip managers, procurement officers and accountants with the requisite knowledge in fleet management.
Designed for both public and private institutions, the workshop attracted about 50 participants who will be given certificates after the training.
The Vice-President of CILT in charge of education, Mr Mark Amuamah, who was a facilitator, also encouraged participants to take advantage of the training to transform the transport units of their institutions.
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