The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has expressed satisfaction with the newly negotiated rates of charges for freight forwarders and clearing agents following successful negotiations with the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA).
Speaking on the Port and Maritime television programme ‘Eye On Port’ on Sunday January 8, 2023, the 1st Vice President of GIFF, Mr. Paul Kobina Mensah, commended the GSA for ensuring a successful negotiation despite the challenges that delayed the process.
According to him, the process was delayed by the emergence of major changes in the industry, such as the Integrated Customs Management Systems (ICUMS) which required the attention and cooperation of GIFF, GSA, and other stakeholders for its successful implementation. He said Covid-19 which affected global trade also impacted the negotiations and further delayed the process.
“We are satisfied with the rates because it is the legal mandate of the GSA to negotiate the rates and we need to give them the needed support. That is when other stakeholders would also give them their support which will then improve investor confidence in the sector,” he noted.
He noted that GIFF’s primary aim is to ensure that shippers are financially comfortable, as this would translate into more business for its members.
The Head of Freight and Logistics Department of the GSA, Mr. Fred Asiedu Dartey, who was also on the show, said that the foreign exchange rates at the time of the negotiation played a major role in the determination of the rates of charges for the freight forwarders. He said that the parties involved in the negotiation went through a painstaking process to arrive at rates that would be acceptable to all interested parties. He said, “We needed to be meticulous to ensure value for the Ghanaian consumer.”
On Tuesday, November 29, 2022, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GSA, Ms. Benonita Bismarck, signed the Agreement on the newly negotiated charges for Freight Forwarders on behalf of the GSA, and the 1st Vice President of GIFF, Mr. Paul Kobina Mensah, initialled on behalf of his association. This is in accordance with the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Regulation, 2012, (L.1.2190) which mandates the GSA to negotiate charges of Shipping Service Providers on behalf of shippers.
