By Alex Ababio
President John Dramani Mahama is taking decisive steps to clamp down on unauthorized charges at Ghana’s ports, declaring that all levies and fees imposed by shipping companies must now be approved by Parliament.
Speaking during a meeting with executives of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) at Jubilee House in Accra, President Mahama emphasized that any fees not sanctioned by legislation are illegal.
“The law says that fees and levies shall be ratified by Parliament. Nobody can charge any fee or levy within the jurisdiction of Ghana without parliamentary approval,” the President stated. “We have asked the Minister of Transport and the Attorney-General to ensure that those fees are brought to Parliament.”
His comments followed growing complaints from freight forwarders about what they describe as arbitrary and excessive charges by shipping lines operating at Ghanaian ports.
GIFF President, Mr. Stephen Adjokatcher, highlighted one of the most concerning practices: charging administrative fees in U.S. dollars per container—even when multiple containers are listed under a single bill of lading.
“If you have 20 containers on one bill of lading, you are charged 20 separate administrative fees. But in China, you are charged only once per bill of lading,” Mr. Adjokatcher explained.
He also pointed out that many of these charges are redundant, as the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) already handles the relevant port processing services. According to him, attempts to resolve the issue through the Ghana Shippers Authority have yielded no results.
“We’ve knocked at the door of the Ghana Shippers Authority several times; nothing is going on,” he said. “These fees are not only unregulated but unjustified.”
President Mahama also raised alarm over revenue leakages at Tema Port. Despite a reported increase in cargo traffic, government income from port activities has declined. The President disclosed that the Minister for Finance had informed Cabinet about the revenue shortfall, prompting a call for investigations into possible leakages.
As part of broader reforms, President Mahama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to upgrading port infrastructure under the “Big Push” initiative—a five-year capital investment programme worth $10 billion.
He further stressed that the effectiveness of Ghana’s planned 24-hour economy hinges on the efficiency of the country’s ports.