The Ghana Shippers Authority says reports of extortion by police officers along the country’s international corridors among other factors, are taking a toll on transit trade.
The Head of the Freight and Logistics Department of GSA, Fred Asiedu-Dartey said the unfortunate developments harm the drive to improve transit trade, which generates a significant proportion of revenue for the country.
He outlined another challenge hindering the smooth operation of transit trade – the high number of police barriers along the corridors- which he said causes undue delays and increases travel time for freight drivers transiting to Ghana’s landlocked neighbours.
He was speaking to the media at a sensitisation workshop sanctioned by the Inspector General of Police to enable the authority to educate police personnel on freight operations.
“One of the major challenges of transit trade is the numerous police checkpoints on the corridor. At the last count, we had about 68 checkpoints from Tema to Paga and these are manned by police officers. It is not so much the number, what is important is what happens at the checkpoints.
“We realise that sometimes there are undue delays that are quite unjustifiable and demands for payments that are illegitimate. Consequently, this impact negatively on the drive to improve transit trade via our corridor”, he said.
He said importers are switching to ply their trade through other ports hence the urgent need for a sensitisation drive, with focus on the significant contribution of transit trade to the country’s economy and the police as stakeholders, that have roles to play to sustain the trade.
He, therefore, entreated the officers to exhibit professionalism when dealing with freight drivers along the corridors and particularly desist from making illegitimate demands for money.
Mr. Asiedu-Dartey explained that freight drivers are not expected to make any payment during their transport of goods after meeting all financial obligations at the port, unless vehicles are found to be overloaded.
“The only issue that may arise that may require a transit consignment to make payment is when at a particular axle load station, they are found to have been overweight, and once you are overweight, obviously there are penalties that go with such infringement. And so those, I will call legitimate payments”, he said.
He said goro boys at the borders, and banking systems not supporting CFA transactions among others, have been identified as challenges impeding the smooth transport of goods through Ghana’s corridor to landlocked neighbouring countries.
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