Brigadier-General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono, the Ag. Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, has called on the relevant authorities to immediately scrap some of nuisance taxes, including the COVID-19 levy and VAT on certain imports.
He told his guest, Joseph BukariNikpe, the Transport Minister that these nuisance taxes are the reasons most freight forwarders from Ghana’s landlocked countries have relocated to Lomé and Abidjan where they find the factors of doing business more favourable.
He said, “We need to be strategic through collaborative compliance with our transit partners to enhance operation to increase revenue. We are using digitalisation and accountability to promote fairness and discipline to meet our future expectations.”
To revive the dead trade in the ports, Brigadier-General Tanye-Kulono said a team had been sent to Lomé to understudy their port operations for a replication in Ghana “because Lomé is our main competitor.
“We can start the 24-hour policy when we get things right and the government scraps some of the nuisance taxes that have made our ports unattractive,” he said.
The Director-General told the Minister that he had initiated plans to dredge the Tema Port, which had delayed for three years to 12 feet from eight feet to receive more vessels.
In addition, he said the GPHA was collaborating with the Highways Authority to rehabilitate most of the access roads to the port.
Excited to hear the plans by the GPHA to put the port in a good shape to start this government’s 24-hour economy policy, Joseph Bukari Nikpe told the D-G, “The President is confident in you and with your military background, he hopes to see discipline at all fronts to elevate the GPHA.”
Seconding the scrapping of some of the nuisance taxes that have made the port unattractive, Mr Nikpe said his Ministry would partner with the Finance Ministry to work to cut some levies and charges at the port.
“The GPHA is one of the strategic agencies that grows the economy. Therefore, for services and activities to improve, I agree with you that some of these concerns must be looked at.”
Joseph Bukari Nikpe gave his blessings and support to the Director-General for his bold initiatives to keep the port alive.
