Ghanaian importers and exporters on Monday urged the government to take decisive action to end congestion and delays in cargo clearance at the country’s ports.
Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) Executive Secretary Samson Asaki Awingobit highlighted at a press briefing that the government’s intervention is needed to ensure the situation does not degenerate into a full-blown crisis with adverse consequences for the country’s trade competitiveness, revenue mobilization, and the national economy.
Awingobit further warned that Ghana risked losing maritime trade to neighboring countries if the chronic congestion and cargo clearance delays were not dealt with expeditiously.
According to him, “The problem is systemic and cuts across customs valuation and examination processes, inspection protocols, regulatory charges, terminal operations, truck turnaround times, and inter-agency coordination.”
He cited situations where a significant proportion of containers subjected to scanning are being routed to the red channel for physical and intrusive examination, as well as the “apparent breakdown of the joint inspection and coordinated examination regime involving Customs and other state regulatory agencies.”
He warned that the increased cargo dwell time, storage and demurrage liabilities, truck queues, and operational expenses could further undermine the efficiency and competitiveness of Ghana’s ports.
“IEAG is already receiving indications that some importers are exploring the possibility of routing their cargo through the Port of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire because of the delays and uncertainties associated with clearing cargo through Ghana’s ports,” he stated.
Awingobit urged that where multiple government agencies have a legitimate regulatory interest in the same cargo, their interventions should be risk-based, coordinated, and undertaken within a clearly defined inspection window, rather than subjecting importers to successive and unpredictable examinations.
He, therefore, urged the government to set up a high-powered committee to unravel the causes of the port congestion and bring sanity to operations at the country’s cargo clearance system