The Executive Director of the Centre for International Maritime Affairs-Ghana (CIMAG), Albert Derrick Fiatui, has urged the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders and other Forwarding Institutions to sensitise their members on rebranding themselves to become attractive to take over the country’s freight market instead of allowing foreign companies to dominate the market.

The Executive Director was speaking at the launch of a research report dubbed: ‘Impact of COVID-19 on the future of Ghana’s Maritime Industry, advocacy for collaboration among industry player’, on Monday, 12 October 2020.

Speaking to Class News, Mr Fiatui bemoaned the taking over of the country’s freight forwarding business by foreigners.

“In Nigeria and some other countries, the cabotage law has been passed. As a result, he noted, freight forwarding will be limited to only locals. So, indeed, the international shipping lines have taken over the business of freight forwarding, which they’re not supposed to take over,” he said.

He called on the country’s freight forwarders to ensure that they put themselves on a level capable of competing with the foreign companies, which have dominated the market.

He stated: “Some of the freight forwarders are not pulling their weight, so, it will take the association, Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders and other ones, to really sensitise their members to rebrand themselves and make sure that they put themselves to that level where even if it is the case that these guys have the field day to do what they’re doing, they’re able to compete effectively and objectively to be able to sustain their business.”

Mr Fiatui further disclosed that CIMAG will petition the president on the need to relook at the freight forwarding sector to prioritise making jobs accessible to local companies instead of foreign companies.

“As an advocacy, we’re going to write a formal petition to the presidency, once again, telling them that they should revisit this issue and make sure that jobs that are supposed to be for Ghanaians are done by Ghanaians because you cannot go to any other country and see these things happening.”

“When it’s this way, it means that we do not care about our own and that should not be the case,” the CIMAG Executive Director added.

The research report was however conducted by CIMAG.