Ghana and Mali Deepen Trade Ties with New Shipping MOU to Cut Costs, Boost Transit Corridor

BAMAKO — Ghana and Mali moved to tighten economic links today as the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) and the Mali Shippers’ Council (CMC) signed a new Memorandum of Understanding aimed at slashing trade barriers and making Ghana’s ports the preferred gateway for Malian cargo.

The signing ceremony in Bamako marked the first official visit to Mali by GSA Chief Executive Officer Prof. Ransford E. V. Gyampo, who hailed the “brotherly warmth and exceptional hospitality” of his hosts while laying out a blunt assessment of the challenges facing transit trade.

“This event marks not only the continuation of a relationship but the deepening of a strategic partnership,” Prof. Gyampo told the gathering, led by CMC Chairman Kissima dit Bakissima Sylla. “Our collaboration is anchored on a shared vision: efficient, competitive, and mutually beneficial shipping and logistics services for shippers in both countries.”

*What the MOU covers*
The agreement sets up formal cooperation in four areas: trade facilitation, logistics coordination, information sharing, and capacity building. That will mean mutual assistance to shippers, exchange of international trade data, joint research, and harmonization of transit procedures between the two countries.

To keep it on track, a Joint Technical Committee of experts from both sides will monitor implementation and ensure milestones are met.

*Tackling corridor bottlenecks*
Prof. Gyampo did not gloss over the problems. Despite Ghana’s commitment to transit trade under regional and multilateral conventions, he said tariff and non-tariff barriers still “negatively affect the haulage of transit cargo.”

He cited high demurrage charges, non-transparent handling of transit cargoes “without recourse to the transit importer,” numerous checkpoints and extortion, axle load issues, and security concerns. “These add to the cost of doing business and reduce the competitiveness of our commercial operators,” he said.

The GSA has been fighting those issues through Transit Shipper Committees — now designated as the National Transit Coordinator — plus periodic meetings with transit shippers’ councils and fact-finding missions along the corridor.

*New law, new leverage*
A game-changer, Prof. Gyampo noted, is the _Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122)_. The law gives the GSA a stronger mandate to facilitate transit trade. “I am confident this new mandate will not only strengthen the Authority’s capacity to support your international trade but also enable us to deal more decisively with the challenges that have long impeded the smooth functioning of the transit trade regime,” he said.

*Betting on Boankra*
Central to Ghana’s pitch is the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT), a dry port under construction in the Ashanti Region. Strategically located in central Ghana, BILT is designed to handle imports and exports for northern Ghana and Sahelian neighbors — Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger — linking them to Tema and Takoradi ports.

The numbers are striking: GSA projects BILT will cut total transportation costs by 14% for cargo via Tema and 48% via Takoradi. “I take this opportunity to invite commercial operators to make Ghana the preferred transit corridor,” Prof. Gyampo said, also calling for investors with “requisite expertise and resources” to partner on BILT.

*Next steps*
The renewed MOU builds on years of informal cooperation but puts structure and accountability behind it. For landlocked Mali, which relies on coastal neighbors for access to global markets, a cheaper, faster Ghana corridor could reshape supply chains. For Ghana, it’s a bid to capture more transit traffic in a competitive West African logistics market.

Prof. Gyampo closed with a pledge: “I reiterate the Authority’s commitment to reducing business costs at Ghana’s ports and facilitating transit trade along our corridor.”

The ceremony ended with mutual toasts to the longevity of both institutions. “Long live CMC and long live the GSA,” Prof. Gyampo said.