Reducing the Cost of Doing Business: Professor Gyampo engages air freight stakeholders

As portion of efforts to trim the outgo of doing concern successful the commercialized shipping sector, the CEO of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Prof. Ransford E. V. Gyampo, has held talks with aerial freight stakeholders astatine Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

The engagement included a gathering with the absorption of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), the Agency mandated to plan, develop, manage, and support each airports successful Ghana, including KIA. This enactment follows akin engagements with stakeholders successful the oversea and onshore freight sectors.

In summation to the engagement with GACL, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, successful the institution of apical absorption members, paid a moving sojourn to the offices of 2 large crushed handling and cargo companies — Aviance Ghana and Swissport Ghana.

The GSA delegation besides held a abstracted gathering with freight forwarders operating astatine the Kotoka International Airport to deepen stakeholder collaboration and code operational concerns.

Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL)

The Managing Director of GACL, Mrs. Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, welcomed the GSA squad and congratulated Prof. Gyampo connected his appointment. She reaffirmed GACL’s committedness to moving collaboratively with authorities institutions to guarantee creaseless and mutually beneficial operations.

“We are ever acceptable to enactment GSA's operations, and arsenic we person collaborated successful the past, we volition proceed to prosecute with you to amended the sector,” she said.

Prof. Gyampo recounted his visits to cardinal oversea freight stakeholders specified arsenic the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Meridian Port Services (MPS), and assorted shipping lines.

He besides referenced engagements with onshore freight stakeholders including the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ghana Immigration Service astatine Aflao, Kpoglo, and Akanu-Noepe borders, arsenic good arsenic freight forwarders operating successful those areas.

He explained that these visits are aimed astatine collecting first-hand accusation and encouraging each stakeholders to enactment towards achieving President John Mahama’s imaginativeness of boosting economical maturation by reducing the outgo of doing concern successful Ghana.

He added that, with the enactment of the GSA Act 2024 (Act 1122), each shippers and shipping work providers are expected to adhere to a tenable level of standards to amended their operations and guarantee greater predictability for businesses.

“Our relation is to support the interests of shippers — whether by sea, land, oregon aerial — portion besides recognising the concerns of shipping work providers. We volition incorporated operating standards into our Legislative Instrument (LI) to guarantee that each assemblage players execute their duties diligently,” Prof. Gyampo said.

Mrs. Afriyie Opare welcomed the attack and encouraged continued collaboration betwixt the GSA and GACL.

Aviance Ghana

At Aviance Ghana, Managing Director Mr. Mark Kamis expressed appreciation for the longstanding collaboration with the GSA and looked guardant to enhanced engagement.

He congratulated Prof. Gyampo connected his assignment and reaffirmed the company's committedness to supporting Ghana’s planetary visibility.

“We are doing well. We privation to proceed contributing our quota to making Ghana disposable globally done our work,” helium said.

Prof. Gyampo emphasised that a cardinal nonsubjective of the sojourn was to place and code aerial freight issues that interaction the outgo of doing business.

“We are present to perceive and collaborate with you. Let’s make a win-win situation. The GSA exists to safeguard the interests of each players successful the commercialized shipping assemblage — some shippers and work providers — to guarantee that your investments successful Ghana proceed to thrive,” helium stated.

Mr. Kamis was impressed by the CEO’s imaginativeness and promised to enactment intimately with the GSA to assistance stimulate economical activity.

Swissport Ghana

At Swissport Ghana, Managing Director Mr. Gerald Suckling lamented the unstable show of the assemblage successful caller years.

He noted that the diminution successful the accumulation of perishable and non-perishable goods successful the state has caused immoderate cargo airlines to halt operations successful Ghana, negatively affecting Swissport’s business.

He besides pointed retired that, contempt being the largest and astir patronised cargo handler implicit the years, Swissport is presently seeing a driblet successful exports.

He cited the delayed clearance of goods — mostly owed to importers’ mediocre mentation and backing issues — arsenic different cardinal challenge.

Prof. Gyampo acknowledged the concerns and highlighted the request to make a conducive concern situation to safeguard investments specified arsenic those made by Swissport.

“We indispensable enactment unneurotic to pull and clasp concern successful Ghana. We are committed to addressing your concerns and creating a favourable concern clime for all. This is indispensable to protecting the interests of some shippers and work providers,” helium stated.

Mrs. Monica Josiah, Head of Operations astatine the GSA, took the accidental to commend Swissport for the affirmative feedback it received successful the GSA’s Service Level Survey.

Meeting with Freight Forwarders

During a gathering with executives of Freight Forwarder Associations operating astatine KIA, respective concerns were raised regarding operational challenges negatively affecting shippers.

Key amongst them was the predominant breakdown of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), which plays a important relation successful the clearance process. The freight forwarders complained that outages of the ICUMS strategy sometimes past much than a day, starring to delays and accrued costs, which are yet passed connected to shippers.

They besides criticised the dilatory responsiveness of definite State Agencies progressive successful the clearance process, saying it often results successful bribery.

“One bureau advertises 24-hour licence issuance, but successful reality, it takes 2 oregon much days. Without their permit, we cannot proceed, and this causes delays,” 1 freight forwarder explained.

Another added, “Due to value discrepancies, we cannot usage the pre-clearance enactment successful ICUMS. Often, the declared value differs from the existent value upon arrival, forcing america to restart the process. That’s wherefore we similar to statesman clearance lone aft the consignment arrives.”

Mrs. Josiah urged freight forwarders to study specified issues to the Shipper Support Unit astatine KIA with capable evidence. The GSA, she assured, volition analyse and request refunds oregon redress wherever applicable.

Prof. Gyampo besides encouraged the freight forwarders to run wrong the instrumentality to guarantee that the GSA tin advocator efficaciously connected their behalf.

“We volition not shield anyone — I privation to beryllium wide astir that. Do your enactment successful enactment with the law, and we volition ever enactment you,” helium concluded.