The International Chamber of Commerce, Ghana is predicting significant growth in traffic volumes in the coming years following the 50% reduction in benchmark values for general goods and 30% reduction in home delivery values for cars.
According to the Secretary General of ICC Ghana, Emmanuel Doni-Kwame, the cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports has been relatively expensive in the past, particularly when it comes to import duties collected by customs therefore, any attempt to reduce cost will attract more businesses to the country.
“Within our environment every fee is seen as duty, the importer puts everything in one basket, but the duty element is very small and so the amount going to the state is just a small percentage,” he opined.
Aside the reduction in cost, Doni-Kwame added that infrastructure like rail needs to be developed in order to cart goods to and from the ports in a fast and convenient manner.
The ICC, Ghana Secretary-General stated that efforts must be put in place take out all unapproved fees at Ghana’s Ports in line with the World Trade Organisation’s Trade Facilitation Agreement.
Emmanuel Doni-Kwame also charged the Customs division of the Ghana Revenue Authority to activate their risk engines in order to speed up the clearance process at Ghana’s Ports.
“The whole benefit of the Trade Facilitation Agreement is to reward those who are compliant.”
He expressed optimism that the Vice President’s announcement for physical examination to be reduced from 90% to 10% when carried through will go a long way to reducing the time for clearance of goods at Ghana’s Ports.
“The target is good. I love the idea of deadlines and the target, 90% immediately just like the go paperless September,” he reiterated.
The ICC, Ghana Secretary-General expressed optimism that with reduction is the cost of doing business at Ghana’s Ports, landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger will choose Ghana’s ports ahead of its neighbours.
He recommended intra African trade as the best way to creating jobs in Africa.
“As a continent, we need to add value to whatever raw materials that we have our natural resources and we really don’t need to go to other continents to import raw materials,” he added.
Source: BestNewsGH.com
