President Mahama moves to scrap illegal port charges, demands parliamentary approval for all fees

President John Dramani Mahama has directed that all fees and charges imposed by shipping lines operating in Ghana’s ports be presented to Parliament for approval, describing any levy not backed by law as illegal.

The directive was issued on Friday, July 11, 2025, during a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) at the Jubilee House in Accra.

President Mahama said the measure is intended to eliminate unapproved administrative charges imposed by shipping lines and to promote greater transparency in port operations.

“The law says that fees and levies shall be ratified by Parliament. Nobody can charge any fee or levy within the jurisdiction of Ghana without parliamentary approval,” he said. “We have asked the Minister of Transport and the Attorney-General to ensure that those fees are brought to Parliament.”

His comments follow complaints from freight forwarders over what they described as excessive and arbitrary charges by shipping lines. According to Mr. Stephen Adjokatcher, President of GIFF, some lines demand administrative fees in US dollars per container, even when multiple containers are covered by a single bill of lading.

“If you have 20 containers on one bill of lading, you are charged 20 separate administrative fees. But in China, you are charged only once per bill of lading,” Mr Adjokatcher said.

He noted that the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) already handles the port processing services for which shipping lines continue to charge extra fees. He added that previous appeals to the Ghana Shippers Authority had gone unanswered.

“We’ve knocked at the door of the Ghana Shippers Authority several times; nothing is going on,” he said. “These fees are not only unregulated but unjustified.”

President Mahama also expressed concern over revenue losses at Tema Port despite increases in cargo volumes. He said the Minister for Finance had reported a decline in port-related revenue to Cabinet, prompting a directive for investigations to identify possible leakages.

He said plans to improve port infrastructure under the government’s “Big Push” programme, which includes a capital investment of $10 billion over five years, would continue.

He added that efficient operations at the ports are important to the success of the proposed 24-hour economy.

In a related matter, GIFF raised concerns about delays caused by some state institutions’ reluctance to operate around the clock.

Mr Adjokatcher cited the Ghana Standards Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority as agencies yet to fully implement 24-hour operations, which, he said, often stalls the clearance process outside regular working hours.

“If those institutions are not part of the transaction while you are processing goods, everything stops until the next day,” he said.

He also indicated that shipping lines themselves have not adjusted their services to support 24-hour clearance, creating further challenges at the ports.

President Mahama noted that while the Ghana Revenue Authority and other agencies had begun implementing the 24-hour system, there were still gaps that needed to be addressed.

The Minister for Finance is expected to speak on tax policy and revenue performance, including issues relating to port operations, during the mid-year budget review on July 24.