Give us more powers - Shippers Authority

The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) is advocating a review of the law setting it up to give it more power to strengthen the authority to better discharge its mandate.

Pursuant to the current law, the authority can only protect and promote the interest of shippers in Ghana, with regards to port, ship and inland transport problems through collaborations.

At the authority’s soirée for journalists in Tema on Thursday, November 6, the Tema Branch Manager of the authority, Mrs Monica Josiah, underscored the need for the review of the legal mandate of the authority.

That, she said, was critical to help provide the authority with the legal toughness to effectively execute its mandate by ensuring that the interest of shippers were protected.

Although the authority has over the years executed its mandate effectively, she explained that giving it more power would help improve its mandate of ensuring safe, reliable and cost-effective cargo handling.

GSA has been on the frontline of Ghana’s maritime industry since its establishment in 1974 by NRCD 254. It has over the years collaborated with private and public organisations in the maritime industry to pursue its primary objective.

“The shipping industry is very important to the economic activity of any country and we all know that it contributes significantly to our gross domestic product (GDP).

“And so, any challenge to the industry affects our economy and in no doubt, erodes the competitiveness of the country’s import and export business globally,” she said.

Trade facilitation

Mrs Josiah explained that the GSA, per its mandate to effectively and efficiently protect and promote the interest of importers and exporters in the country’s commercial shipping sector, was fully committed to collaborate with all stakeholders to improve Ghana’s shipping space and help facilitate trade.

As a result, she observed that the role the media played in the economic development of any country could not be questioned because it was an obvious fact and the authority had long recognised the role and considered the media as a partner whose agenda of national and economic development converged with that of GSA in the pursuit of its mandate.

“I wish to state that the GSA will continue to harness its relationship with the media to ensure that importers and exporters in the country are empowered through the dissemination of shipping-related information.

“We are confident that the media will continue to show interest and take up issues that will improve the shipping industry and the country’s economy as a whole,” she added.

Media engagement

The Head of Public Relations of the authority, Mr Fred Atogiyire, took the opportunity to extend an invitation to the media to attend this year’s media seminar slated for this month.

He said the seminar would provide a platform to build the capacity of journalists by educating them on contemporary issues in the shipping and logistics industry.