ICC Ghana to work closely with players at the port to ensure optimum trade facilitation – Emmanuel Doni-Kwame

The International Chamber of Commerce, Ghana has paid a working visit to the MPS Terminal 3 in the Tema Port to familiarize itself with activities at the ultra-modern port infrastructure.

Aside the tour, the members of the ICC Ghana were taken through a presentation of the vision of the Tema Port, by Mohammed Samara, CEO of the Meridian Port Services, who emphasized that the Tema Port is strategically positioning itself for transshipment services.

"Tema Port has a bigger discharge than our immediate competitors, so the shipping lines would like to come here as their first point of call. Tema Port has the highest concentration of all shipping lines. 14 shipping lines who come to West Africa, come to Tema," he educated.

The Secretary General of the International Chamber of Commerce, Emmanuel Doni Kwame, revealed that his outfit is one of the key advocates for the drafting, ratification and implementation of the World Trade Organization’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, and seeks to inspire efficient ways of doing business by players in the port logistics chain.

"In Ghana, as part of the global alliance for trade facilitation, we have been working closely with the Ministry of Trade to encourage all parties to improve on the ease of doing business initiative which has to do with the time and cost," he disclosed.

He said this is why the International Chamber of Commerce, has taken up the responsibilities of interacting closely with stakeholders in the port logistics chain who are key in trade facilitation, for collaboration towards the ease of doing business objective.

The Secretary General of the ICC Ghana, also disclosed that MPS’ Management has assured the Chamber that it intends to consider making office room for them, as well as other technical partners of the port, to help give them hands-on education on the everyday developments at the Tema Port and assist in addressing challenges that may arise.

"They even recommend that instead of our meetings in hotels, they are prepared to provide the facilities for all the technical partners here, so we that when we have our meetings here, and see things first hand and to also assist them in the services they provide," he added.

Emmanuel Doni-Kwame, touching on risk management systems deployed in Ghana’s ports, expressed that there is more to be desired in order for goods to be cleared within the green zone, which implies no physical inspection on cargoes.

"The goal now is to get more cargoes in the green zone, because presently that is not what is happening."