Government to introduce industrial subcontracting policy

Chairman of the port efficiency and trade facilitation committee, the Hon. Carlos Ahenkorah has hinted of an industrial subcontracting policy that will ensure Ghanaians benefit from the shipping industry.

Mr. Ahenkorah who is also the Deputy Minister for Trade also described as illegal, container administrative charges being levied on consignees by shipping lines.

Speaking at a seminar organised by the Institute of Chartered Shipbrokers in Accra on demurrage charges in Ghana Mr. Ahenkorah noted that it was unacceptable for shippers to pay the various charges being levied on them by the shipping lines.

"As the chairman of the port efficiency and trade facilitation committee, we are recommending to the president that if it were possible, agents and forwarders should be allowed to put insurance policies against container detention so that when they take the containers out and come back with the cost of the container, if they don’t pay, the insurance company will have to come in and deal with that. That way we will not keep any money with anybody for the shipping lines or shipping agents to annex this money and make it their own.

According to him, they have made several recommendations with the firm belief that government was going implement such recommendations immediately with the view to addressing most of these challenges.

Mr. Ahenkorah blamed the backwardness of Ghana in the maritime industry to ignorance, arguing that countries such as Singapore which have become the standard for measuring efficient, effective and competitive Maritime industries achieved their current status through brain work.

According to him, players in the maritime industry must take the interest of the nation into consideration at all times by doing only what is right.

Another issue of grave concern according to the minister is the repatriation of monies by shipping lines and their agents out of the country, a situation he indicates negatively impacts the economy of the country.

"In countries like Singapore which is a very tiny country on the world map, we can never come near their GDP because the monies that they generate in that country stays in the country. A lot of the shipping lines who have made Singapore their hub have headquarters in that country.

In South Africa for example, 15 clear days before the arrival of a vessel into their ports, the monies required to husband the vessel would have to hit the central bank otherwise your vessel will not come into the port, why can’t we do the same in Ghana?’’ he queried.