By Laudia Sawer
Tema, Mar 10, GNA – The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the Ghana Shippersâ Authority (GSA) have reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate in reducing the cost of doing business at Ghanaâs ports.
The collaboration is aimed at enhancing the efficiency and attractiveness of the ports to customers, both local and transit, and at fostering socio-economic growth in line with the governmentâs economic reset agenda.
GPHA and GSAâs collaboration is part of significant steps to make Ghanaâs ports more competitive within the sub-region, supporting trade facilitation, and contributing to national economic growth.
The reaffirmation of the commitment Professor Ransford Gyampo, the Chief Executive Officer of the GSA, paid a working visit to the GPHA and interacted with Brigadier General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono, the Director General of the GPHA, and the management team on issues of mutual interest.
The visit was used to deliberate on strategic approaches to minimising the cost of doing business at Ghanaâs ports, as well as on issues affecting the attractiveness of Ghanaâs ports and the huge role it plays in the nationâs maritime industry.
Prof. Gyampo emphasised the need for both institutions to identify operational bottlenecks and implement sustainable solutions to mitigate delays, noting that having inefficiencies in the system often led to additional costs for importers, which are transferred to consumers.
He indicated that interacting with various stakeholders brought out the issues of the high cost of doing business, noting that the GSA and the GPHA working together could help minimise such high costs in line with President John Dramani Mahamaâs intentions of reducing such costs of doing business in Ghana.
Brigadier General Tanye-Kolono, the DG for GPHA, reiterated his earlier call on the Transport Minister to assist in the removal of Value Added Tax (VAT) and Covid-19 taxes from transit goods as well as certain taxes on transshipment goods.
He said, âOn transshipment goods, for instance, I do not understand why goods that are spending just some minutes in Ghanaâs ports and are on their way to other ports should be taxed. The same applies to transit goods. My interactions with transit agents and clients have shown that they have a strong preference for Ghanaâs ports but are inundated with taxes on transit goods, and this cannot be continued.â
He expressed hope in the governmentâs resolve to boost a 24-hour economy, saying that removing such taxes ensures the swift clearance of goods at the ports to alleviate the financial burden on importers and facilitate trade.
The GHPAâs director-general called for frequent meetings by the two institutions on practical ways of making Ghanaâs ports attractive to support the governmentâs 24-hour economy and job creation agenda.
âI believe we must prioritise the national interest and the welfare of our stakeholders to ensure optimal service delivery. By working together, we can create a more competitive and business-friendly environment at our ports,â he stated.
GNA