Stop undue delays at ports - Abodakpi

Accra (Greater Accra) 8 Jan. 99

Port authorities have been asked to reduce the number of checks on imported goods in order to enhance Ghana's competitiveness in the sub-region. There is undue extra examination of goods, especially the imported ones, Mr Dan Abodakpi, deputy minister of Trade and Industry, said, adding, this must be stopped if the Gateway Project is to succeed. He was reacting to complaints regarding undue delay of goods at the ports. The complaints were made during a visit to the Tema Port on Tuesday by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr John Abu and officials of the Private Enterprise Foundation, Association of Ghana Industries and Value Added Tax (VAT) Service to assess the impact and interpretation of the new tax system. Mr Abodakpi noted that a lot of money has gone into the Gateway Project and must not be allowed to go down the drain by the actions and inaction of officers at the ports. He called on port authorities to urgently convene a meeting and resolve the causes of such delays by the end of the month. Imported goods are said to sometimes take about one month or more to be cleared. One importer, Mr Kingsley Yaw, angry about delays and extra check points, said he was contemplating using a neighbouring port. He said: "I recently had to clear some goods at the Tema Port and I had to go through as much as 65 different check points. "Most of them were just customs officers and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority officials sitting at tables and virtually doing nothing but going through people's goods and extorting money and goods from them".