The Special Operations Unit (SOU) of the office of the President presided over by the Chief of Staff, Mr. Prosper Douglas Kweku Bani, has issued a directive that goods must be cleared from the Ports within a certain limited time frames.

The directive, according to Dr. Clement Apaak, Spokesperson for the unit at the office of the Chief of Staff, Flagstaff House, Accra, is part of the on-going decongestion exercise to clear the nation’s ports of over-stayed goods and undeclared cargos.

The nationwide exercise carried out by the SOU in collaboration with some relevant State institutions, is aimed at blocking all revenue leakages at the ports, Dr. Apaak stated in a release.

As part of the exercise, it is expected that all goods imported through the ports of entry should be cleared by Consignees within the stipulated time-frames of 21 to 30 days for perishable and general goods, respectively.

According to the statement, goods left un-cleared within the predetermined time-frames as stated above, shall be placed on the Un-cleared Cargo List (UCL), gazetted and subsequently dispose off through public auction and allocation in accordance with existing laws and regulations applicable to over-stayed goods and cargos.

Consignees and agents are, however, required to acquire permit to enable them clear goods and cargos already on the UCL or have been gazetted awaiting public auction.

The statement, however, entreats importers, consignees and agents to report unscrupulous persons who pose as members of the SOU or as staff of the Presidency, who may try to defraud them and warns of strict compliance of the directive or swallow the pills.