Professor Ransford Gyampo, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Authority has urged officers at the border to prioritise and not undermine the interest of the country in international trade to enhance revenue generation that could be channeled into development to bring Ghana from its quagmire of poverty and underdevelopment.

“Rather, all stakeholders should be interested in growing the transit trade in the interest of Ghana to help generate revenues that could be channelled into Development to bring Ghana from its quagmire of poverty and underdevelopment.”

He cautioned the officers that “No sabotage here…I am interested in growing Ghana so, our children and generation after us could be comfortable in staying in their own country and be proud of our contributions to the development of the country”

Professor Gyampo told key stakeholders who regulate and promote international trade at the Elubo border in the Western Region when he visited the freight park, that the export market would be one of the cardinal focuses of his administration to drive growth, and that “We are here to prosecute the mandates of international trade.”

He mentioned that the Legislative Instrument to operationalize the Shippers Law Act 1122 of 2024 would soon be done.

Prof. Gyampo also called for effective collaboration to ensure that businesses reserved for Ghanaians were not taken over by foreigners.

He commended the team for keeping faith in the business and ensuring the utmost interest of Ghana.

During the visit, the Assistant Commissioner of Customs, Louis Dan Mennia spoke about the challenges of infrastructure to manage the ever-growing freight sector.

He revealed that the Elubo corridor was one busy entry point that must be resourced to effectively handle the daily cargo volumes.

“Our trucks are now mini trains and can be very dangerous if we have to handle buses and these trucks on peak hours.”

Commander Mennia also spoke about the critical need for a designated space for the confinement of explosives that used the corridor.

“Our risk vulnerability analysis on these explosive handling along the roads is a nightmare and we should act fast to avert future catastrophe, the Border Security Force could be seen as a strong bond working collectively to reduce accidents due to haphazard packing,” he added.

The stakeholders expressed their dissatisfaction about the delays delays on the part of shipping lines resulting in demurrage and other costs which is passed onto the consumer.