Key stakeholders within Ghana’s International Business Community have thrown their weight behind the Ghana Shippers’ Authority following the announcement of the amendment of the 50-year old Shippers Act.

Parliament passed the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Bill, 2024 into law on Monday, July 29, following its successful third reading on the floor of the House.

Among others, the law will regulate commercial activities of shippers, and will primarily address the issue of unfair and excessive charges that burden traders who use Ghana’s sea and air ports, as well as land borders to ply their international trade.

The Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Kofi Ahenkorah Marfo, explained that this new law will improve the Ghana Shippers’ Authority biting power in the performance of its mandate.

“Our new act that we passed about three or four days ago, seeks to amend certain portions of the already existing act that takes care of our shipping industry.

The Act was passed since 1974, about 50 years ago, and it is important that certain aspects of the law be amended. As we speak, we have had an engagement with these entities who are stakeholders in this shipping industry,” she said.

Following a fruitful closed-door engagement with the Ghana Union of Traders Association, the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Association of Ghana Industries, among others, the various representatives gave plaudits to the government and the Shippers Authority and expressed their hope that this will herald a new era where the Authority becomes empowered to better protect their interests.

“We believe it is a welcoming document, a welcoming act to strengthen the business community. To the shipper, it gives us the capacity to engage with our agents in a very equitable manner” the President of the Association of Ghana Industries, Dr. Kwesi Humphrey Ayim-Darke stated.

“This Act is very important for us and we will support it because it can help us have the respite to do our business and also grow. It seeks to empower Ghana Shippers Authority to do just that for us and to make sure that some controls are brought to bear so that they can approve or disapprove some of these charges.

However, we have identified some grey areas in the act, and they have also promised to update the LI to address those issues” the President of the Ghana Union of Traders Association, Dr. Joseph-Obeng expressed.