EXIM Frozen Foods Association Opposes Return of Smart Port Note

The EXIM Frozen Foods Association of Ghana has strongly opposed attempts to reintroduce the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN), also known as the Smart Port Note (SPN), warning that the system could impose an additional annual burden of between €187.2 million and €382.8 million on Ghanaian importers, businesses and consumers.

The Association has consequently urged the Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, to reject any pressure to revive the controversial project, which was abandoned years ago after widespread opposition from stakeholders in the trading, shipping and logistics sectors.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Association questioned the motives of a group calling itself the Concerned Traders Association of Ghana, which has reportedly been advocating for the reintroduction of the CTN/SPN system.

According to EXIM Frozen Foods, the group is unknown within the recognised trading community and does not represent the interests of legitimate traders.

“For over a decade, Ghana’s business community has been united and unequivocal in its rejection of the CTN/SPN regime. The system was abandoned because it was needless, duplicative, expensive and an unnecessary burden on shippers,” the statement said.

The Association argued that the proposed system would merely duplicate functions already performed by the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), while increasing the cost of doing business at the country’s ports.

It maintained that the CTN/SPN was originally designed to collect data for the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) and would not improve cargo visibility, trade facilitation or risk management as proponents claim.

The Association also raised concerns about the reported partnership between the Ghana Shippers’ Authority and the Inter-Ocean Maritime and Logistics Institute (IOMLI), questioning why an institution mandated to protect shippers would support a project that imposes additional costs on them.

“We have openly stated that the ECTN/SPN appears to be designed primarily to generate revenue for the service provider, contradicting the GSA’s core mandate,” the statement noted.

According to EXIM Frozen Foods, estimates based on Ghana’s 2024 container traffic of approximately 1.7 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) suggest that implementation of the Smart Port Note could cost Ghanaian shippers between €187.2 million and €382.8 million annually.

The Association argued that the resulting costs would ultimately be passed on to consumers through higher prices for imported goods.

Describing the Smart Port Note as a “primitive and backward system,” the group said its reintroduction would add unnecessary bureaucratic layers to cargo clearance procedures, increase transaction costs and create opportunities for delays and rent-seeking practices.

The Association further contended that the proposal runs contrary to international trade facilitation standards, including the objectives of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement, both of which promote seamless and paperless trade systems.

It warned that the move could undermine Ghana’s competitiveness as a regional trade hub, making ports in neighbouring countries such as Lomé and Abidjan more attractive to traders.

The Association therefore called on the Transport Minister to reject any attempt to reintroduce the CTN/SPN, strengthen existing digital systems such as ICUMS, and focus on eliminating what it described as illegitimate charges imposed on shippers.

It also urged the Ghana Shippers’ Authority to prioritise enforcement of its mandate under the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, including protecting traders from unfair shipping-related charges.

The statement concluded that stakeholders across the import, export and logistics value chain remain firmly opposed to the CTN/SPN and would continue to resist any effort to revive the project.

“We are ready to work with any organisation genuinely committed to addressing the real challenges facing traders, but we will not support a system that traders have rejected for more than a decade,” the Association stated.