The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) has welcomed the newly passed Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) Law, saying it will offer the Authority “the teeth to bite” to effectively regulate the shipping industry.

The Association said the law would empower the GSA to exercise control of the port and have the power to approve or disapprove import charges that affect the general cost of doing business in the country.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement organised by the GSA in Accra, Dr Joseph Obeng, President of GUTA, said the regulation of charges would give respite to businesses and ensure their growth.

“We have been propagating all this while that we revive the laws of Shippers Authority so that they can have proper mandate to control.

“The cost of doing business in this country is just too high and this Act seeks to empower Ghana Shippers Authority to do just that for us to make sure that some controls are brought to bear so that they can approve or disapprove; so that we can have the respite to do our business and grow,” he said.

The stakeholder engagement sought input for setting up a Legislative Instrument (LI) that would guide the implementation of the new law.

The trade associations that were engaged include Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI) and the GUTA.

Dr Obeng encouraged other stakeholders, including clearing agents, to also get involved in the GSA’s stakeholder engagements so that all of them would get their concerns addressed in the LI and ensure benefits for all.

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

The new law which amends its 50 years’ old establishment law, NRCD 254 (1974), will regulate commercial activities of shippers, and primarily address the issue of unfair and excessive charges that burden traders who use Ghana’s sea and airports, as well as land borders to ply their international trade.

It seeks to ensure transparency, accountability, as well as to increase national revenue and to make Ghana a preferred destination for her landlocked neighbours, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.