Shippers in talks with security agencies to remove check points along transit corridor
Shippers have begun talks with the security agencies to remove the numerous check points along the country’s transit corridor. This follows a recent survey along Ghana’s transit corridor which identified about 40 police and customs check points with a minimum delay of 20 minutes coupled with unauthorised fees and charges of at least GH¢400 per trip from Tema to the Paga border.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Ms Benonita Bismarck, disclosed this at a workshop organised by the Borderless Alliance and other stakeholders on August 1 in Accra.
She stated that the numerous check points were of concern and required collective efforts to ensure a seamless trade between Ghana and its neighbouring landlocked countries.
“The overall effect of an inefficient road government is increased transit time along our corridor, an increase in the cost of transiting goods for shippers and the loss of revenue to the major players which ultimately translates into a loss of needed revenue to the country as a whole,” she said.
To help address the challenges, she said there had been a number of engagements with the Ghana Police Service and Custom Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to look at the way forward.
According to her, the authority recently engaged the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Mr David Asante-Appeatu in a discussion on the police check points along the transit corridor.
“ We, as industry stakeholders, commend the police administration for its willingness to remove these bottlenecks to help reduce the incidence of delays and harassments along the corridor.
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Govt’s directive
The Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, earlier this year directed the removal of all Customs road barriers in Ghana effective September 1st, 2017.
This is part of three major policy initiatives which the Vice President announced at the Port Efficiency Conference organised in May this year.
The others are mandatory joint inspection of goods at the Ports by Ghana Community Network (GCNET) and West Blue Consulting, and the ports going paperless.
The new directives form part of efforts to make Ghana's ports very competitive in the West Africa sub-region.
Common front
Ms Bismarck called for a common front among stakeholders to help address these challenges and ensure sustainability in road governance initiative along its corridor to create the needed environment for the free movement of goods and persons as envisioned by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) trade protocols.
She said the authority would continue to support and collaborate with other stakeholders to provide an appropriate platform that enabled shippers to meet service providers in order to find answers to issues of concern that may be plaguing the trade and transport industries.
“Mandate is to protect and promote the interest of shippers which we carry out through several strategies such as stakeholder engagements and collaborations, capacity building for our shippers and sensitization and education of stakeholders like we are witnessing here today,” she added.
Workshop
The capacity building workshop organised by the Borderless Alliance and other stakeholders was aimed at educating shippers on opportunities and challenges of unlocking the ECOWAS market.
On the theme “Opportunities and Challenges of unlocking the ECOWAS Market,” the event brought together stakeholders in the shipping business to interact and share ideas on pertinent issues affecting the industry.
She commended the Borderless Alliance for its continuous collaboration with the authority in working to achieve trade fluidity along the West African trade and transport corridors.
“Also coming out with innovative strategies for countering the major bottlenecks to trade facilitation in the sub-region.” — GB