Port Administration Charges Under Scrutiny: Gov’t Demands Parliamentary Review

Ghana’s port administrative charges are facing intense criticism, with President of the Republic of Ghana H.E John Dramani Mahama calling for immediate reform of shipping line fees.

Speaking during the meetings with the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders at the presidency, President Mahama highlighted the major complaints about shipping lines, mentioning a recent meeting attended by various groups, including the Minister of Transport.

He disclosed that, the issue of administrative charges for processing containers is discussed, with President Mahama questioning why a single container incurs the same administrative cost as multiple containers.

President Mahama pointed out that this practice is unique to Ghana, as it is not followed in other ports like Lome.

“And the thing is, when I inquired, they don’t do that in Lome. They don’t do that in any other port, only in Ghana. And so it really doesn’t, you know, make sense. We charge the Minister of Transport to go into it and sit with the shipping lines and look into those administrative charges,” President Mahama emphasized.

He underscored the need for the Minister of Transport and the Attorney General to address these administrative charges and ensure they are ratified by Parliament.

President Mahama cited consulting the Attorney General, who confirms that no fees or levies can be charged in Ghana without parliamentary approval. The importance of rectifying this issue is stressed, with a call for the Minister of Transport and the Attorney General to take immediate action.

“And to the point is, the law says that fees and levies shall be ratified by Parliament, and so nobody can come and charge any fees within the jurisdiction of Ghana, because we consulted the Attorney General, and you cannot charge any fee or levy within the territories of Ghana without parliamentary approval.” President Mahama emphasized.

He suggests that the ports should be made the desired destination for imports, as current bottlenecks are driving importers to use other ports like Lome, noted the need for collaboration between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ghana Shippers Authority to address these issues.

President expressed strong support for quickly addressing the bottlenecks at the port to improve the efficiency and attractiveness of Ghanaian ports. The potential financial benefits of resolving these issues are mentioned, with Ghana’s President noting that importers can still make money by transporting goods from Lome to Accra.

“We think we should make our ports the desired destination for everybody to bring his goods through, because if some of these bottlenecks that are making some of our importers bring their imports through, Lome because they pay less fees, less charges, and then they still even make money tracking the goods from Lome to Accra, He said.

The importance of making Ghanaian ports competitive with other ports is reiterated, with a focus on reducing administrative costs and fees.

The role of various government agencies in addressing these issues is emphasized, with a call for coordinated efforts to improve the port system.