The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has proposed a package of targeted reforms to strengthen transit controls while preserving Ghana’s competitiveness, following government restrictions on the land transit of commercial quantities of cooking oil.
The directive, issued by Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, came after the alleged diversion of trucks operating under transit arrangements linked to a specific Bill of Entry (BOE). While backing the government’s revenue protection mandate, GIFF is urging a measured and evidence-based review of the measures that followed the enforcement action.
Addressing the media in Tema, GIFF General Secretary Mr Paul K. Mensah stressed that the Institute’s position does not condone illegality but seeks to ensure that enforcement remains proportionate and strategically aligned with Ghana’s broader trade interests.
“Transit trade is highly sensitive to policy signals,” he noted, cautioning that broad or prolonged restrictions could prompt Sahel-bound cargo to divert to alternative coastal corridors.
According to GIFF, cargo owners in landlocked countries such as Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali maintain flexible routing options and could quickly recalibrate in response to perceived regulatory tightening. The Institute warned that this could lead to underutilisation of Ghana’s transit infrastructure and softer customs volumes in the medium term.
GIFF further highlighted the risk of reciprocal administrative measures within the West African transit ecosystem, explaining that corridor policies often attract mirror responses from neighbouring jurisdictions.
The Institute also underscored Ghana’s leadership role under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), arguing that enforcement systems must remain visibly facilitative to reinforce the country’s reputation as a reliable transit gateway to the Sahel.
To address systemic gaps exposed by the incident, GIFF recommended a focused reform package that includes risk-tiered escort protocols, real-time reconciliation dashboards within the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), strengthened transit bond reviews, and the creation of a joint Customs–Ghana Link anomaly review cell.
It further advocated sanctions targeted strictly at proven offenders rather than broad commodity-level restrictions, warning that sweeping measures could unintentionally penalise compliant operators and create regulatory uncertainty.
Mr Mensah called for an independent technical reconciliation of the BOE case, a proportionality review of current measures, and structured stakeholder consultations to reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to freedom of transit under enhanced compliance safeguards.
“Enforcement credibility and trade facilitation must move in tandem,” he stated, maintaining that balanced, intelligence-driven reforms would both protect revenue and sustain Ghana’s standing as a preferred transit hub for landlocked countries in the sub-region.
