The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has called on the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, to convene an urgent one-day high-level meeting with key ministers, heads of agencies and industry stakeholders to address the worsening congestion and operational delays at the country’s ports.

According to the Executive Secretary of the IEAG, Samson Asaki Awingobit, the physical examination of every container passing through the ports currently takes several hours, severely hindering workflow and worsening port congestion.

He said the proposed summit must bring finality to the port conundrum by establishing clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to define which officials must operate physically at the ports and which should remain in their administrative offices.

Speaking about the operational bottlenecks,

Mr Awingobit noted that several regulatory personnel, whose presence is required only to approve applications and issue certificates through the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), continue to occupy space on the port floor instead of working from their respective offices.

He highlighted the severe financial strain on traders, revealing that some importers who had paid all the required duties had their containers delayed for up to two weeks, significantly increasing the cost of doing business in Ghana.

Mr Awingobit further cautioned customs officers to exercise vigilance and follow error-free inspection procedures to prevent operational challenges.

He warned that if immediate measures were not implemented to streamline port operations, transit cargo traffic from landlocked neighbouring countries, including Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, could permanently shift to competing ports in Côte d’Ivoire and Benin.

Additionally, the IEAG executive secretary called for structural changes within the maritime governance system.

He advocated the removal of certain representatives from the boards of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to ensure proper representation for key industry players, including the Shipowners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG).