Importers and Exporters Association call for government to suspend increment in port charges

The increment which is expected to take effect from December 2, 2019, was announced by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).

The GPHA explained that the increment will cater for inflation, increases in fuel prices, electricity and other resources used by the port in providing its services. It added that the increment is long overdue. However, the Importers and Exporters Association insists it is not needed.

Explaining further, the GPHA said in a recent statement that it had observed inconsistencies in some recent statements and commentaries in the public.

According to them, people have alleged that the GPHA agreed to compromise by allowing its private terminal operating partner Meridian Port Services to increase its tariff so the private partner could cede 20% retention of container cargo volumes to the Port Authority.

General Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association, Sampson Assaki Awingobit, told Accra-based Citi FM that the increment must be halted for now to allow for broader stakeholder engagement.

“The GPHA should call on the Importers and Exporters Association and other agencies or institutions that are equally expressing their unhappiness about this 10.9 percent tariff increment to a round table to discuss and explain further. But they should not come out and respond in this direction. I think it is premature for GPHA to have come out, it is not good for the GPHA ,it is rather going to harm the GHPA because it is not everything that we are pushing away, we are saying that the tariff increment is baseless and we need to meet and sit at a round table and discuss”.