Ghana Shippers' Council re-designated Shippers' Authority
The Ghana Shippers’ Council (GSC) has been re-named Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA), Mr Kofi Mbiah, the Chief Executive, disclosed this on Thursday.
To this end, he said, GSA would institute a legal and administrative framework, and also put in place the right infrastructure to enable the Authority to live up to expectation.
Mr Mbiah made this known when members of the Parliamentary Select-Committee on Roads and Transport paid a working visit to the GSA in Tema, to acquaint themselves with the operations of the Authority.
He explained that the changing over from Council to Authority by Act 562 of 1998, would make Ghana Shippers a more autonomous body, in order to fulfil its mission of efficiently and effectively managing the demand side of shipping with a view to protecting and promoting the interest of shippers.
This would be in relation to port, ship, inland transportation problems and the provision of ancillary shipping services, he said.
He underscored the need to develop unified rules to regulate International Trade to help bring sanity into trade among nations, in order to promote and strengthen existing bonds of friendship and cordial relations among trading countries.
The Chief Executive said GSA was bent on promoting shippers’ activities through the adoption of innovative technologies.
Mr Mbiah recounted the achievements of GSA over the years, and outlined its development programmes for this year, which he said, include the construction of an 11-million-dollar Shippers’ Centre in Accra.
He said by November, renovation works on GSA’s warehouses in Tema would be completed, to meet customs requirements and enhance value of property.
The GSA Chief Executive further disclosed that by September, the existing Tema Office would be re-modelled into an additional warehousing capacity.
The Authority, he said, would construct access roads and other primary infrastructure at the Boankra Inland Port by December; whilst the Upper East and West Regional Shippers Centres would be inaugurated by August.
Mr Mbiah said the fourth National Shippers’ Day would be held in September, while the GSA appraised the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Shippers’ Councils of Burkina Faso and Niger by March.
Mr Ibrahim Tanko, Vice Chairman of the Select-Committee, assured GSA that the committee would do all it could to assist the GSA to enable it to operate effectively.
Assisted by his deputy, Mr Emmanuel Martey and other Management members, Mr Mbiah had earlier conducted members of the Select-Committee round to inspect facilities at the Authority.
Source: GNA