Importers deny reports that Dec. polls have slowed down activities

Importers, exporters and clearing agents at the Tema Port have expressed misgivings about the recent statement by the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) that the upcoming election had slowed down business activities at the ports.

Responding to claims made by GSA, the importers and exporters warned the Authority headed by Dr. Kofi Mbia to desist from attributing the slow pace of business activities at the port to the December general elections.

It would be recalled that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Shippers Authority, Dr. Kofi Mbia, stated that the upcoming elections was slowing operations at the ports.

He was reported to have said that many traders were hesitant to import goods due to the uncertainty of the elections.

Dr. Mbia added that “We fear that once again the election fever; people having the wait-and-see attitude, people may not be exporting as much as they would have wanted to, and that is why for us, the climate for confidence and peace is very important. I think that everyone should help promote peace.”

However, the remarks by the GSA boss incurred the anger of some disgruntled importers and exporters who described the statement by Dr. Mbia as a “face-saving exercise just to create the impression that all was well with importers and exporters.”

They fumed that the day-to-day operational activities at the ports started declining since the NDC assumed office in 2008 due to its bad economic policies.

When Today visited the Tema port recently, importers complained that the long and cumbersome processes they (importers) had to go through before clearing their goods was adversely turning the port into an unattractive destination for doing business.

They gave an instance where an importer had to pay GH¢21,000 to clear printing materials, instead of GH¢6,000, because the containers had to go through many processes.

They stated that many trucks exiting the port with loaded cargo had to wait for several days before being processed and discharged by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).

They explained that the problem facing importers was also to be blamed on the manual checks undertaken by regulatory institutions, including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Standard Authority (GSA), National Security, the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), the police and the Ghana Ports and Habour Authority (GPHA).