PARLIAMENTARIANS TOUR TEMA PORT (PAGE 29, MARCH 22, 2010)

The Parliamentary Select Committee on Employment, Social Welfare and State Enterprises has commended the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA ) for being one of the outstanding state enterprises in the country.
They made the commendation during a working visit to the Tema Port to ascertain the status of the port and to find out plans being made by the GPHA to cope with activities of the oil industry as a result of the oil find.
The committee also discussed plans underway for the GPHA to create employment.
The Vice-Chairman of the committee, Mr Charles Hodogbey, said by virtue of the mandate of the committee, it was undertaking a project to find out the performance of institutions to be able to report to parliament.
Some concerns expressed by the committee include the cumbersome processes importers had to undergo in the clearance of goods from the port, loss of cargo to neighbouring countries and its financial effects on the port, among others.
The Director of Tema Port, Mr Richard Anamoo, disclosed that GPHA did not have the prerogative to reduce the clearing days at the port and also to determine any policy affecting cargo and transport.
He said loss of cargo and finances to the neighbouring countries was as a result of the axle load law but disclosed that very soon the same law would be applying in neighbouring Burkina Faso, and hoped that would address the problem.
On delays at the port, he explained that there were various bodies operating at the port, noting that all these fragmented bodies had legal backing and were statutory bodies recognised to operate in the port.
Mr Anamoo indicated that the GPHA had no statutory power to stop any organisation from operating in the port but to rather offer logistical support to enable them to work.
He confirmed that some of the bodies had overlapping responsibilities, which sometimes created misunderstanding between them as a result of repetitive processes.
Mr Anamoo commented on the delays in documentation as a result of clearance from some sector ministries and departments.
He cited for example some explosives which needed a clearance by the Interior Ministry and which as a result had been kept in the port area for a considerable length of time, noting that “this has exposed the port to risk”.
Mr Anamoo suggested that the government should set up one institution to work alongside the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to be in charge of cargo arriving at the port instead of the several bodies currently checking goods resulting in delays in clearance.
He affirmed that cargoes needed to be checked because of several fraudulent practices including under-invoicing and high level of dishonesty which importers indulged in.
Mr Anamoo disclosed that the Ghana Shippers Authority had the mandate to handle complaints of importers and exporters and, therefore, urged people with problems to go to the authority for help.
The Director-General of the GPHA, Mr Nestor Galley, had earlier in a presentation stated that the Tema and Takoradi ports would be expanded to meet the challenges posed by the oil find.
He disclosed that the authority was meeting to present a proposal on provision of facilities at the Takoradi port to stakeholders.
Mr Galley said the expansion would open up for small barges which would be providing services and logistics by shuttling to and from the coast to the drilling vessels.
He said GPHA had plans to redevelop the Takoradi port with the construction of a dedicated oil service terminal with facilities.