Deputy Minister for Transport Hon. Dorcas Affo-Toffey has commended Ghana Ports and Harbourd Authority(GPHA) led by Brigadier General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulonu for it’s policy to mitigate demurrage payment at the port by customers.
She was of the view that demurrage payment remains one of the key challenges at the port, further aggravating the cost of doing business.
Deputy Minister for Transport Hon. Dorcas Affo Toffey Director General of GPHA Brigadier General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulonu
The Deputy Minister gave the commendation at the GPHA on Tuesday during a working visit as part of a 7-Day working visit to agencies under the Ministry.
Earlier in a brief remark, the Director General of GPHA Brigadier General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulonu revealed that management is instituting an initiative that cushions Customers of the demurrage predicaments they go through.
He emphasized that demurrage occurs when the Customers fail to off stock the container for the shipping line to take the containers back stressing that under the policy, GPHA will off stock the Containers for the Customers to help assuage their predicaments thereby reducing the cost of doing business at the Ports.
“When Items arrive at the port, during the movement instead of going through transit dock, T-2, if you have paid and ready to clear, if the item is destined for terminal 3 or golden Jubilee terminal, it goes straight to the golden Jubilee terminal.
If it’s supposed to go to transit, it goes straight to transit instead of going through transit point of terminal 2 before going to all the rest”, the Brigadier General highlighted.
He added that “ all these put together, we are of the view that at the end of the year the cost of doing business will reduce and we will become more competitive”.
Director of Tema Port, Mr. Tebon Zumah on a tour with Deputy Minister at the Port
Brigadier General Tanye-Kulonu also revealed that a lot of measures have been put in place to enhance operations at the ports adding that bureaucratic bottlenecks as regarding clearing of goods are now a thing of the past.
General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, GPHA, Dr. Kingsley Antwi-Boasiako
He also stressed that taxes on transit goods are being reviewed to attract more businesses.
These initiatives by GPHA endeared the heart of the Deputy Minister who lauded them saying it is the way to go as the initiatives align with President Mahama’s vision to ensure a stress free port coupled with the 24hour economy policy.
The Jomoro Member of Parliament later expressed the Ministry’s commitment to support GPHA to become more viable.
Later, the General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Dr. Kingsley Antwi-Boasiako took the Deputy Minister and her delegation through the operations of the Port highlighting measures put in place to enhance port operation.
He revealed that GPHA has procured additional cargo handling equipment as well as constructing Port Community road network and linkage route from terminal 3 to terminal 2, all geared towards ensuring an enhanced port operation.
Source:www.senaradioonline.com
