Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama on Friday joined senior government officials, business leaders, among others to mark the first anniversary of the Ghana National Single Window (GNSW) project with a call on shipping lines to stop the charging of Terminal Handling Charges (THC) at the country’s ports.
According to him, the charges have no legal bases and as such should not be charged or implemented by the shipping lines at the ports.
Earlier, some key business organizations in the country including the Association of Ghana Industries, Ghana National Chamber of Commerce, Ghana Union of Traders Association, Private Enterprise Federation, Ghana Chamber of Mines, Federation of Association of Ghanaian Exporters, Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, and Food and Beverage Association of Ghana had called for sanctions against all shipping lines that flouted the Transport Minister’s directive.
Transport Minister Fiifi Kwetey had earlier directed all shipping lines in the country to stop charging the Terminal Handling Charges.
Speaking at the 1st anniversary of the national single window, President Mahama stated: “There have been concerns about the numerous fees and levies charged at our ports. And that is why I take the complaints of the AGI very seriously.
I am advised that there are no legal bases, absolutely no legal bases for the Terminal Handling Charges that are currently been levelled. And the Honorable Minister of Transport has written expressly to stop this charge. This must be implemented immediately”.
Touching on the GNSW project, the Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper indicated that the country has started to benefit from the project following the successful implementation of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Reporting System (PAARS).
The PAARS is a modernized system that has been developed by the Customs Division of GRA as part of the implementation of the GNSW project to enhance revenue mobilization, improve border security and customs clearance, overcome duplication across regulatory agencies and promote trade facilitation.
Officials at the Customs Division of the GRA said the successful implementation of the PAARS has increased revenue generation at the Tema and Takoradi ports.
According to them, revenue mobilised by Customs Division of GRA in 2015 increased by 1.66 per cent as a result of the implementation of the PAARS.
“Our revenue target for 2015 was GH¢8036.23 million and we realized GH¢8169.55 million which is remarkable”.
They indicated that before the implementation of the PAARS, the Customs Division of GRA hardly achieved its target, stating that “revenue target for 2014 was GH¢7010.32 million and we were able to collect GH¢6865.20 million and in 2013 revenue target was 5993.42 million and we collected GH¢5372.42 million.”
The Deputy Minister of Trade, Muntala Mohammed noted that the single window being implemented by government is the surest way of reducing the cost and time of doing business at the ports.
He noted: “Single window is not an event but a process so we are sure that gradually the problem we face in doing business at the ports will soon be reduced to the barest minimum”.
The Chairman of the Ghana International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Alhaji Asuma Banda who chaired the function stated that Ghana has a lot of prospects which if it manages the GNSW well.
Removing challenges associated with trade will urge local investors to expand their businesses for export, he said.
Alhaji Banda was quick to add that the country will improve its foreign earnings, while the expansion of businesses will help create employment for the youth.
“Trade facilitation is a key focus of leading economic ties worldwide because of its direct investment opportunities. This will definitely be a maximum benefit for our country. This is the end goal we in business are strongly advocating for and we look forward to achieve it,” he stressed.
He explained that the National Single Window will help coordinate trade activities at Ghana’s ports and enhance transparency and accountability.
According to him, trade still stands as the key component which will boosts the country’s economic activities.
Instructively, the GNSW project was initiated on 1st September 2015 by the Government of Ghana to enhance the country’s trade and economic development and secure and increase government revenue. It was officially launched in 1st December, 2015.
Indeed, the Single Window concept was developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in 2005 as an effort to simplify, harmonise and standardise international trade procedures and associated information flows between trade and government and within government itself.
UNECE, through its UN Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), defined Single Window as “a facility that allows parties involved in trade and transport to lodge standardised information and documents with a single entry point to fulfil all import, export, and transit-related regulatory requirements. If information is electronic, then individual data elements should only be submitted once”.
African Eye Report
