President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Kwabena Ofosu- Appiah has stressed the need for establishing Standard Operating Procedures to streamline the governance structure at the ports.
Speaking at a forum in Accra, Mr. Ofosu Appiah said the current situation is rather promoting non-compliance and needs to be revised, otherwise efforts such as the introduction of the paperless system and port expansion project intended to maximize revenue would be fruitless.
Other speakers within the port Operations value chain agreed that the introduction of the paperless system and expansion work at the ports, especially Tema with the coming on board of Terminal Three is expected to enhance revenue mobilization.
Unfortunately, there seems to be a criss cross of directives. Coordinator of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority, Garvin Amarie expressed concern about some challenges at the new terminal.
The Acting Commissioner of Free Zones, Paul Nkrumah Ababio said not all problems at the Tema port are caused by Custom Officials.
He explained that the greatest concern currently is non-compliance, and this needs to be addressed.
The Ghana Integrity Initiative’s multi-stakeholder business forum was aimed at promoting an effective business environment for port operations, by removing cumbersome clearing procedures. President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Kwabena Ofosu Appiah could not agree more.
Story filed by Rebecca Ekpe.
