Open Letter To The Minister Of Ports, Harbours And Railways.

Mr Minister you will agree with me that apart from the damaging impact of the serial cocaine incidences (which implicated high level state bureaucracy and security) on Ghana’s image and business potentials the next latent but debilitating issue has to do with the spate of stealing and vandalization of peoples goods especial cars imported into the country at the various ports and harbours. It is difficult to understand and excuse such glaring and pronounced cases of stealing which occurs at the very heart of the port security systems. When one considers the current trend of stealing of the parts of imported cars especially, lamps, sign-lamps, car crowns, jacks, spare tyres and other tools which come with those cars and trucks one cannot but agree with the allegations that some harbour security and staff are deeply involved in the cancer.

I know a student who saved from his meagre allowances to get a vehicle here in Holland which is expected to assist him realise some business opportunity in his community. Most of the parts of the car were stolen including even the gear lever when it got to Tema habour. The vehicle is not expected to be able to move unless such parts are bought and fixed back. This is the case even after he had paid over twenty million cedis as duties to the habour. One wonders why our ports should, after collecting such huge sums in taxes cannot guarantee the safety of the vehicles under their custody. This is just a simple illustration of how our ports and habour operations are anti-business. Mr. Minister, many well meaning members of the business community and investors in Ghana believe that these acts at the harbours of our land is anathema to the President’s Golden Age of Business efforts. I recall just a week ago the President expressed his regrets for such malfeasances when he was addressing the Shippers Day Celebration in Kumasi. (See http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=111678)

Unless something is done I strongly believe that this will be a dark spot in your administration as a minister of this sector and, indeed, an indictment on your very office. Since the problems of ‘Kalabule’ as the president indicates involves even customs officials, its not enough to put the whole burden of ensuring safety and sanity in port operations to the shippers. Mr. Minister must be able to instil sanity at the ports if it means overhauling the security systems and staff structure. Until this is done, let’s forget altogether about wooing investors into the country.

Prince Anthony Holland

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