The government is considering measures to allow importers to take delivery of their goods after paying the required customs duties, even when shipping lines or terminal operators report operational difficulties, as part of efforts to tackle congestion and mounting charges at Ghana’s ports.
The proposed measure emerged from a high-level stakeholder meeting convened by the Ministry of Finance to address delays in cargo clearance, congestion and the growing burden of rent and demurrage charges on importers.
Samson Asaki Awingobit, Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG), said the government was considering allowing Customs to release cargo once the importer had fulfilled the relevant duty obligations, leaving disputes over other charges to be resolved separately.
“Government is even saying that if at the end of the day, when the government wants to see that if an importer pays his duty, and shipping lines is saying my system is down, terminal operators are saying at least customs officers should be able to release you to go,” he said.
He explained that the proposal could reduce the number of containers held up at the port and ease the financial pressure on businesses struggling with additional charges arising from delays.
According to Mr. Awingobit, demurrage payments go to shipping lines and are paid in foreign currency, while rent charges accrue to Meridian Port Services (MPS), adding to the costs importers incur when they cannot move their containers promptly.
He cited operational difficulties, including delays in transferring containers from MPS to other yards and instances where equipment or access arrangements reportedly prevent cargo movement, as factors contributing to congestion.
Mr. Awingobit said the government had responded promptly to the association’s call for a high-level meeting, which it made in a statement on Tuesday, October 20, to bring together political leadership and key port stakeholders to find lasting solutions.
Although he described the engagement as encouraging, he said several important institutions were absent, limiting the meeting’s ability to produce comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
Among those missing, he said, were the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG), the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the Ghana Standards Authority, the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Energy Commission.
“We were expecting to see explicit SOPs today,” he said, adding that the Deputy Finance Minister who chaired the meeting would need to escalate the matter to ensure the outstanding issues were addressed.
Mr. Awingobit, however, welcomed a reported directive narrowing the categories of goods that would routinely be subjected to customs examination.
He said stakeholders had been informed that only three categories of goods would be sent for such examination, including food and chemicals, although he did not identify the third category.
He described the development as a positive step towards reducing delays and improving the movement of cargo through the ports.
The IEAG Executive Secretary said stakeholders were looking forward to a second meeting at which the government could issue clearer directives and establish operational procedures involving all relevant agencies.
He expressed optimism that the government’s willingness to intervene could help address persistent bottlenecks, reduce avoidable charges and improve efficiency in Ghana’s port operations.
