The Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) has called for full automation of the cargo clearance process at the country’s ports.
GSA also said a pre-arrival cargo clearance regime is key to reducing demurrage to the barest minimum.
Emmanuel K. Arku, Head, Research, Monitoring & Evaluation at GSA, made the call while making a presentation on ‘Container demurrage in Ghana – an overview and impact on economy’ at a day’s workshop for players in the shipping industry in Accra.
According to him, demurrage dwindles profits and working capital of shippers, and affects sales, volume of imports and competitiveness of Ghana’s exports.
“It is a foreign exchange drain on the economy and shipper education is required to ensure that shippers do the right things such as starting the clearance process before vessel arrival, submission of genuine documents, getting ready with funds for the clearance process, as well as securing licenses and permits before arrival of cargo.”
Mr Arku further proposed the integration of the systems of various service providers, strengthening of the capacity of customs officers assigned to conduct physical examination, as well as introduction of a system for easy location of containers at the ports and terminals.
He noted: “Shipping agents need to improve their systems and customer service, and there is the need to improve training and performance.”
By Samuel Boadi