With the commencement of the increment of charges by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Traders Advocacy Group Ghana, TAGG, is calling on government to relook at the high cost of freight charges and cost doing business in the country.
According to the group, the effect the COVID-19 on businesses has been ravaging, thus the need for stakeholders within the industry, “to make trade facilitations in Ghana comfortable and all- inclusive from the trader’s point of view to help move trade activities in the country.”
In a statement issued by the group, President of TAGG, Kwadwo Amoateng noted that the Ghana Shippers Authority, GSA, is also not doing much to help traders in the country.
“According to the Ghana Shippers Authority Act 2012(L12190), Regulation 5 explains the negotiation of charges. But from all angles of the traders’ front, it can be emphatically said that the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) is not doing much as it claims to help make trade facilitations in Ghana comfortable,” he said.
“This is because, the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) have made it a point not to intercede on behalf of traders when it comes to negotiations between these multinational shipping lines but rather have painted a picture every year for traders to feel the sense of an ongoing activity with these various institutions whenever they deem it fit to impose incremental charges on the Ghanaian trader,” he added.
It will be recalled that the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority earier announced that, from March 2021, tariffs on imports and exports of cargo will see an increase at the various ports in Ghana.
The first announcement of an increase in port tariffs was made in July 2020, but was later suspended in September.
But according to a recent statement issued by the Ports and Harbours Authority, both Tema and Takoradi ports will see an upward revision on containerized cargoes.
