CEO of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Ms. Benonita Bismarck (above) speaking to transit truck drivers (bottom) during sensitization program
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority in collaboration with some of the key actors in Ghana’s transit trade has once again held a sensitization workshop for haulage truck drivers in Tema.
Together with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Customs Division of GRA, Ghana Police Service, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Road Safety Authority, the workshop was used to deliberate on key issues that impact the conduct of transit trade along Ghana’s corridors.
Some of the key issues include the carriage of dangerous and hazardous cargo, non-tariff trade barriers, and road traffic regulations.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Benonita Bismarck revealed some discouraging setbacks that were identified during the fact-finding mission the Authority embarked on prior to the sensitization workshop.
“Then latest fact-finding trip undertaken only last week, from March 7 to 11, 2022, on the Tema-Paga corridor revealed some rather disturbing results. There were altogether 80 checkpoints, made up of 56 police and MTTD stops, 10 customs checkpoints, 4 Immigration checkpoints, 7 axle load stations and 3 forestry barriers. What is even more disturbing are the demands for illicit payments with the associated delays by these Uniformed Personnel at the checkpoints,” the Shippers’ Authority boss lamented.
She said logistics and transport service providers have even become more crucial with the current wave of intra-Africa trade.
Chairperson of the workshop and General Manager in charge of Marketing and Corporate Affairs at the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Esther Gyebi-Donkor, said GPHA along with its key stakeholders will embark on continuous efforts to enhance transit trade.
“We have worked hard to improve upon our services at the exit point to the extent that only two weeks ago, GPHA commissioned its Paga transit truck park as part of our trade facilitation efforts. Indeed, during the commissioning, the regional sector commander of GRA, Customs Division espoused that the newly built facility is increasing government revenue. Aside that, he also claimed that the working environment for the officers and drivers during examination has improved,” Mrs. Gyebi-Donkor articulated.
An Assistant Commissioner of Customs in charge of Transit, Peter Antobre Ofori, said the Customs Division has deployed effective methods to curtail cargo diversion, deviation, improper parking, and overloading.
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