GPHA waives rent charges on affected cargo to ease port congestion

The Head of the Shipper Services and Trade Facilitation Department at the Ghana Shippers' Authority, Monica Josiah, has affirmed the Authority's commitment to collecting and following up on stakeholder complaints to ensure that commitments made by relevant agencies translate into tangible improvements at Ghana's ports.

She said reducing the cost of doing business at the country's ports remains critical to strengthening Ghana's competitiveness as a trade and transit hub within the sub-region.

The Deputy Marketing Manager of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Abena Serwaa Opoku-Fosu, also announced that the Authority will waive rent charges on affected cargo as part of efforts to ease congestion and reduce the high cost of doing business at the ports.

Speaking during a stakeholder forum organised by the Ghana Shippers' Authority on Thursday, June 25, 2026, she said the GPHA would continue implementing broader interventions to modernise the Ports of Tema and Takoradi, improve operational efficiency, and facilitate the smooth movement of containers.

The forum discussed key concerns raised by shippers, including port congestion, delays caused by multiple inspections, bureaucratic procedures, documentation fraud, corruption, and informal charges, all of which stakeholders said significantly increase the cost of doing business.

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Officials from the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, the Ministry of Finance, and the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority participated in the discussions and pledged to implement measures to improve efficiency, transparency, and service delivery.

A representative of the Ministry of Finance, Kofi Baidoo, assured stakeholders that genuine concerns arising from discrepancies in duty assessments under the Republican AI Duty System would be addressed. He urged traders to formally submit complaints for redress.

He also encouraged stakeholders to report incidents of corruption and demands for informal charges through the appropriate channels, while the participating agencies pledged to take swift action on verified complaints.

Participants agreed to sustain the dialogue through quarterly stakeholder engagements to monitor progress on the commitments made and ensure continuous improvements in port operations.

ANAS/MA

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