The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has refuted allegations of exorbitant port charges, asserting that it only imposes approximately 10% of the total fees and levies at the ports.

Director-General Michael Luguji made the point during a meeting with Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam and his delegation.

He called for a comprehensive assessment and overhaul of the port clearing system to alleviate the financial burden on importers.

Luguji highlighted that while the GPHA is often associated with port-related charges, a closer examination of invoices reveals a multitude of customs duties, levies, and charges from other government agencies not attributable to the GPHA.

“Whenever a typical invoice is raised from the port, then the agency that comes to mind is the GPHA, which everyone knows as the Authority that handles port stuff. However, when you study the invoice carefully, there are custom duties, levies, and other government agency charges which cannot be attributed to GPHA in any way.

“Counting the number of levies and taxes, I can see about 22 government taxes or levies on the invoice of an importer and this is a challenge because we did a research which indicates that our contribution to that entire cost of clearing is less than 10%”, Luguji stated, stressing the need for a fairer distribution of costs within the port system.

The visit by the finance minister and ministry officials aimed to gain first-hand insight into port operations, reflecting the government's commitment to addressing concerns and improving efficiency within the port sector.