Japanese delegation visits GPHA to explore business opportunities

A 40-member Japanese delegation led by the Japanese Ambassador to Ghana has visited the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).

The delegation was made up of officials from the Japan embassy in Ghana, Cote’divoire and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) was received by management of the GPHA.

The purpose of the visit is to explore investment opportunities in the port.
The port authority has a good rapport with the Japanese government through JICA which is currently expanding the fishing harbour in the port of Takoradi

The Corporate Marketing and Public Affairs Manager at GPHA, Paul Asare Ansah in a presentation explained that the port is committed to ensuring that efficient services are rendered to clients who do business at the port.
The Director of Tema Port, Jacob Adorkor urged JICA to invest in the Tema fishing harbour just like they are doing in Takoradi fishing harbour.

“We have received support for the Ghana fishing harbor. We have received support for both Takoradi and Tema and currently we are enjoying a very big facility from japan to expand our fishing harbor at Takoradi port. We are also planning to come over to discuss issues concerning our fishing harbor in Tema,” he said.

The delegation was later sent on tour of the Tema Port expansion site where 600meters of breakwater has been constructed into the sea.
The port expansion when completed will receive bigger and larger ships with deeper drafts of 16meters.

The Japanese Ambassador to Ghana said the delegation was impressed about the fast pace of development at the port.



CEO of Namibian Port Authority Hails GPHA

The Chief Executive Officer of the Namibian Port Authority, Bisey Uirab has hailed the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority for leading the way into port development in the West African sub region.

He said it is commendable, the initiative the port authority has taken to expand both the Tema and Takoradi ports to receive larger vessels.
Bisey Uirab disclosed this when a Namibian delegation led by the Namibian Ambassador to Ghana visited GPHA to see how best the two port can work together.

The delegation was given an overview of the port and later sent on a tour to the bulk jetty terminal, the meridian port services terminal and finally the Tema port expansion site where they were briefed by the MPS project team.
They finally visited the International Maritime Hospital.

Bisey Uirab said he was impressed about the spate of development at the Tema Port and the kind of equipment being used to offer efficient service to clients.

“It is impressive, I have seen a lot of modern equipment been deployed here, I have seen the expansion initiative ongoing and I can only say good luck to the people of Ghana.

It is good to see that Ghana is one of the oldest independent countries and they are also leading their way into port management and making sure the direction between water and land is facilitated through our port,” he said.



Customs Officers Trained on How To Detect Fraudulent Documents

Detection of fraudulent documents submitted by clearing agents to officials of the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has been identified has a major challenge to the customs division.

Some traders and clearing agents are said to be presenting fake and altered documents for the clearance of their goods ostensibly to evade taxes which leads to the state loosing huge revenues.

To help resolve this challenge, West Blue Consulting, the technical support providers of the customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority has organized a one day training session for customs officers.

The training which is part of the capacity building initiatives for customs officers is to equip them with the necessary skills and techniques to detect fraudulent documents and how best they can be able to reject some of the invoices and documents being presented to them.

The Training Manager of West Blue, Ransford Mensah said the training which forms part of the Ghana National Single Window project will equip custom officers with the right skills to be able to detect fraudulent documents and also to be able to facilitate their work better and generate revenue for the country.

“This training is basically to equip custom officers with the right skill to be able to detect fraudulent document and also to be able to facilitate their work better to generate revenue for the country,” he said.

The facilitator of the training, Kofi Danquah who himself has been a customs officer for so many years stressed the need for traders and clearing agents to be well educated on the need to submit genuine documents.

“The problem is the traders should first be educated, they don’t know that they have to support their document, if they know at all, nobody is checking them but they have to be brought down and told that they have to use the prescribed document to support their documents.

He called on customs officers to reject fictitious documents since they have the backing of the law to do so.

“We have told them the law which gives them the power to reject fictitious documents,” he said.



Tema Port expansion contractors call on Nana Addo

A delegation from Bolloré Transport & Logistics, APM Terminals and Meridian Port Services Ltd, the shareholders of the $1.5 billion Tema port expansion project, on Thursday paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo to congratulate him on his election to the high office of President.

The delegation, which was led by Cyrille Bolloré, Chairman of Bolloré Transport & Logistics, indicated that the shareholders of the project have been buoyed up by the vision and determination of President Akufo-Addo to ensure that the private sector regains its pride of place in Ghana’s economic setup.

Bolloré, thus, applauded President Akufo-Addo “for taking Ghana into a new era of business development.”

He told the President that Bolloré Ports, a subsidiary of Bolloré Transport & Logistics, is the number one port infrastructure operator in Africa and is also the leading container terminal management company on the continent.
Together with APM Terminals and Meridian Port Services Ltd, he indicated that the financing required to execute the Tema Port Expansion Project had been secured, and the project is currently ongoing.

He noted that the expansion of the Tema port will improve Ghana’s trade competiveness, facilitate trade growth and improve revenue mobilisation. The project, he added, will allow Tema Port to accommodate some of the world’s largest container ships, and improve cargo handling services and capacity.
Upon its completion, Cyrille Bolloré added that the project will enhance the position of the Tema Port as the leading maritime hub in the region.

Mohammed Samara, CEO of Meridian Port Services, the executing contractors of the project, told the President that the port expansion project falls within the GPHA Master Plan for the development of Tema Port, under the Concession Agreement that was granted in 2004.

In addition to the expansion project, Mohammed Samara indicated that, together with Bolloré Transport and Logistics and APM Terminals, a project to upgrade the Accra-Tema Motorway into a six-lane, modern highway along with improved, connecting arterial roads, would be undertaken. This project, he added, will be financed solely with funds from the shareholders.
On his part, President Akufo-Addo thanked the group for their visit and stated that the major preoccupation of his government is the creation of a good business climate for businesses to thrive.

He was, thus, pleased that companies like Bolloré Transport & Logistics, APM Terminals and Meridian Port Services Ltd. have thought of Ghana as the place to do business and invest.

With the port expansion project having commenced in the last few months of the tenure of the previous government, President Akufo-Addo assured that his government, having convinced itself of its viability and immense benefits for the economy, will not abrogate the contract.

“If we can convince more and more companies like yours to invest in our country, then we can thrive as a nation. Be assured that the presence of a new government does not mean the abrogation of genuine contracts entered into by the previous government. You have my support to proceed,” he added.

ICC hails entry into force of WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement as “watershed moment” for world trade.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) has welcomed the entry into force of the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), a landmark global trade agreement which could provide a boost to global trade flows of over US$1trillion.

Two-thirds of WTO member states have now ratified the TFA, with Rwanda, Chad, Oman, Jordan becoming the latest of 110 countries to ratify the agreement. Reaching this threshold means the TFA now becomes an official part of the multilateral trading system which covers more than 96% of global GDP.

The TFA, the first multilateral trade agreement to enter into force in over two decades—aims to make trade easier and simpler by cutting red-tape at borders. ICC has estimated that the deal could support the creation of some 20 million jobs worldwide— the vast majority in developing countries.
ICC Chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal said the entry into force of the TFA is a watershed moment for global trade.

The reality today, according to him is that many small businesses find themselves unable to trade internationally due to complex customs requirements.

By cutting unnecessary red-tape at borders, he said the TFA will have a transformational effect on the ability of entrepreneurs in developing countries to access global markets.

John Danilovich, ICC Secretary General, said ICC has tirelessly championed the TFA because they know that making trade easier through simple customs reforms can provide a major boost to small business growth.
It’s estimated that the TFA could increase SME exports by 80% in some economies. This means more jobs, more consumer choice and—ultimately—more inclusive development.

ICC Ghana Secretary General Emmanuel Doni-Kwame said ICC Ghana with the support of AGI, World Trade Centre Accra, GUTA, Shipowners Association of Ghana, Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, FAGE, Ghana Employers Association, Ghana Journalist Association, West Blue Consulting, Ghana Shippers Authority and the BUSAC Fund encouraged the Ministry of Trade and the Parliament of Ghana to ratify the Trade Facilitation Agreement. This goal was achieved in January when Ghana became the 104th member country to ratify the TFA.

Valentina Mintah, CEO of West Blue Consulting and a member of ICC Ghana said the Ghana National Single Window, a Trade Facilitation programme, plays a key role in the execution of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, with up to 15 Sub Articles covered by the programme.

With the entry into force of the TFA, we are confident of achieving a further reduction in time and cost of doing business in Ghana, whilst providing a level playing field for all trade participants.