GSA targets arbitrary charges to ease shipping costs
The Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) will intensify regulatory interventions this year aimed at reducing shipping-related costs.
The interventions focus on eliminating arbitrary charges to help create a more transparent and competitive shipping environment.
The planned measures, which would be centred on regulatory intermediations under the authority’s expanded mandate to regulate pricing and standards, are expected to ease the cost burden on shippers while improving compliance within the shipping industry.
Although the government has implemented several measures since assuming office to stabilise the local currency and abolish or reduce certain taxes, the cost of doing business at the ports remains high due to inefficiencies and arbitrary charges.
Speaking on the authority’s strategic priorities for this year, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GSA, Professor Ransford Gyampo, said the authority was committed to deepen regulatory interventions and ensure fairness, compliance and the elimination of arbitrary charges.
Drafted LI
For instance, he said the authority would ensure the passage and implementation of a new Legislative Instrument meant to give full effect to the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122).
Act 1122, which was passed in late 2024 without an accompanying Legislative Instrument, now has a draft document at the Ministry of Transport undergoing the required processes for its passage.
“We successfully developed and submitted a draft L.I. to the Ministry of Transport to initiate the required processes for its passage. This accomplishment represents a major step toward the full implementation of the Act”.
“We will ensure passage and implementation of the GSA Legislative Instrument to give full effect to Act 1122,” he said.
Regulatory architecture
Prof. Gyampo stated that the passage of Act 1122 in 2024 ushered in a new regulatory architecture for the authority.
He said the new law had expanded the authority’s mandate significantly, transformed it from a largely facilitative institution into a modern regulator responsible for the commercial activities of shippers and shipping service providers across sea, air and land transport.
He said this transformation requires a heightened level of institutional discipline, coordination, and professionalism.
“It is in moments like these, that we must draw strength from the core values — integrity, excellence, teamwork, resilience, passion and commitment, and continuous personal development — that have long shaped the culture and character of this organisation,” Prof. Gyampo said.
Notable achievements
The Shippers Authority CEO said the authority had secured a Bank of Ghana directive to address inconsistencies in the application of foreign exchange rates by shipping service providers in 2025.
“We approved a new charge for the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) for the handling of heavy-duty equipment. We secured the deferment of the Minerals Commission’s proposed charge of $250 on each imported earth-moving equipment.
“We disapproved a proposed increment in the cargo handling charges by ground handlers at KIA,” he said.
Prof. Gyampo said the GSA made some proposals, following extensive investigations on the implementation of some disinfection and fumigation charges at the ports, that would phase out the blanket fumigation of all cargo by exempting specific cargoes and also inserting a sunset clause that limits the exercise to identified risk.
He added that those proposals would also be discussed extensively with all stakeholders for their buy-in and fully implemented in a manner that would help inch closer to President Mahama’s vision of reducing the cost of doing business in Ghana.
Strategic priorities
Prof. Gyampo outlined key strategic priorities for the authority in 2026 and beyond, including institutional excellence and human capital development, logistics infrastructure expansion, and strengthened regional and international partnerships.
The GSA would continue to advance flagship projects such as the Boankra Inland Logistics Terminal (BILT), the Akatekyiwa Freight Park, and other strategically located freight parks across the country,” he stressed.
The CEO stressed that the authority would expand its presence at selected entry and exit points along Ghana’s borders to commence the implementation of service charges at land borders and at the airport.
Also, he said, the GSA would enhance collaboration with key regional and international bodies, including the Union of African Shippers Councils (UASC), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the Global Shippers Forum, ECOWAS, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to strengthen Ghana’s competitiveness.
He added that digital transformation and trade facilitation as critical priorities, with plans to operationalise digital platforms, integrate systems, and expand data-driven decision-making.
