The Ghana Shippers’ Authority Bill, 2024, was passed into law on July 29, 2024, after its successful third reading in Parliament. This new law amends the 50-year-old establishment law, NRCD 254 (1974), with key objectives:
- Regulate Commercial Activities: Oversee shippers and shipping service providers in international trade cargo movement by sea, air, and land.
- Fair Pricing and Charges: Address unfair and excessive charges burdening traders at Ghana’s sea and air ports, as well as land borders.
- Transparency and Accountability: Introduce transparency in determining port fees and charges, ensuring accountability in international trade cargo movement.
- Preferred Transit Trade Channel: Make Ghana a preferred transit trade channel for landlocked neighbors, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
- Revenue Contribution: Enhance the sector’s revenue contribution to the national purse.
Key Benefits
- Effective Regulation: Ensure fair pricing and charges for all stakeholders, promoting local firm participation.
- Improved Oversight: Enable Ghana Shippers’ Authority to adapt to emerging trends and complexities, protecting shippers’ and service providers’ interests.
- National Socio-Economic Growth: Drive improved revenue generation and collection.
Ghana Shippers’ Authority’s Role
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) was established in 1974 to regulate commercial activities of shippers and shipping service providers. With this new law, GSA will:
- Facilitate Fair Fees: Charge fair fees at ports and borders.
- Balance Interests: Regulate transit trade, balancing shippers’ and service providers’ interests for enhanced efficiency and competitiveness.
The CEO of GSA, Kwesi Baffour Sarpong, has expressed commitment to fair enforcement and collaboration with stakeholders, seeing the amended law as a significant step towards making Ghana a preferred trade hub in the region ¹.
read more: https://shippers.org.gh/index.php/parliament-passes-shippers-authority-bill-into-law/
