GSA rallies shippers to drive Ghana’s multimodal hub ambition
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening collaboration with the trading community to support the country’s ambition of becoming the preferred multimodal shipping hub in West Africa.
As part of this effort, the Authority organised a High Value Shippers’ (Platinum) Engagement Forum in Accra on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
The forum brought together some of Ghana’s leading importers, exporters, manufacturers and industry stakeholders to discuss emerging issues within the shipping and logistics value chain and explore practical solutions to enhance trade competitiveness and operational efficiency.
Participants included representatives from the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), the Ghana Armed Forces, Nestlé Ghana, Cargill, Olam, CIMAF Cement, Ghacem Cement, Guinness Ghana Limited, B5 Plus, Blue Skies and Duraplast.
The engagement formed part of GSA’s broader efforts to deepen stakeholder collaboration and promote a more efficient and competitive trade and logistics environment.
Strong partnership
The Head of Shipper Services and Trade Facilitation at GSA, Monica Josiah, who represented her CEO, stated stronger partnerships within the shipping and logistics value chain were essential for enhancing trade competitiveness and supporting the government’s 24-Hour Economy agenda.
She stated that importers, exporters, manufacturers and investors played a critical role in sustaining supply chains, driving industrial growth and connecting Ghana to the global marketplace.
Mrs Josiah stressed that the rapidly evolving shipping industry, influenced by digitalisation, sustainability requirements and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), required Ghanaian businesses to remain competitive in regional and international markets.
“Today’s gathering reflects our collective commitment to strengthen partnerships within the shipping and logistics value chain while creating a practical platform for dialogue on the critical challenges confronting shippers in Ghana and beyond,” she said.
Mrs Josiah said the significant role played by high-value shippers in Ghana’s socio-economic development, noting that their contributions to trade, industrial growth, employment creation, and government revenue generation continue to position them as indispensable partners in national development.
“As importers, exporters, manufacturers and investors, your activities sustain supply chains and connect Ghana to the global marketplace.” she added.
GSA’s mandate
A Senior Officer at the Research, Monitoring and Evaluation (RME) Department of GSA, Kwesi Saforo, explained that under Section 3(1)(o) of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122), the authority was mandated to approve all charges imposed by shipping service providers.
He stated that Section 36 of the Act further prohibited shipping service providers from imposing charges that had not been approved by GSA.
He said extensive research conducted into the Container Administrative Charge across other West African countries where the same shipping lines operated had revealed that the charge in Ghana was significantly higher.
He explained that while the charge stood at $165 per twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) in Ghana, the same shipping lines charged $30 per TEU in Nigeria and $65 per TEU in Togo.
He stressed that GSA, in the exercise of its statutory mandate to facilitate a conducive environment for international trade and position Ghana as a regional trade hub, had intervened to halt a practice that had contributed significantly to the high cost of doing business.
He said the Container Administrative Charge had subsequently been reviewed and pegged at GH¢550 per TEU to align with the actual service rendered in Ghana.
He stated that following a petition by the shipping lines, the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, had intervened and directed that the charge be pegged at GH¢720 per TEU pending further consultations among stakeholders to facilitate a conclusive resolution of the matter.
Assurance
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer in charge of Operations at GSA, Prince Henry Ankrah, assured stakeholders that GSA would act promptly on concerns raised, and would ensure to revert to the respective stakeholders with the requisite remediation responses and / or interventions.
“The Ghana Shippers’ Authority will continue to work with all stakeholders to address industry concerns and facilitate a trade environment that is efficient, competitive, and responsive to the needs of businesses,” he said.