GIFF calls for tougher action to enforce GH¢720 container charge cap

The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) is calling for strict enforcement of the GH¢720 limit on the Container Administrative Charge, warning that some shipping lines continue to exceed the approved ceiling.

The Institute says the failure to ensure compliance is weakening regulatory directives and adding to the financial pressure facing businesses across Ghana’s maritime and logistics sectors.

Although the charge cap has been communicated to shipping lines, GIFF says some operators are still billing customers above the prescribed amount. The organisation is consequently urging government and the relevant regulatory bodies to move beyond letters and directives and take firm action against companies that disregard the limit.

Speaking to Citi Business News, GIFF General Secretary Paul Kobina Mensah said authorities must ensure that non-compliance has consequences.

“It is unfortunate, and we seem to be helpless. It’s a directive and must be enforced.”

Mr Mensah said repeated correspondence with shipping lines would have little effect unless the agencies responsible for regulation were given the power and support needed to compel operators to follow the directive.

“When the directive goes out and the relevant agencies or companies are not adhering to that directive, I think there should be a mechanism to make them respect the directive and act accordingly.”

According to Mr Mensah, the continued imposition of charges above GH¢720 creates uncertainty for freight forwarders and could increase the overall cost of doing business in Ghana’s maritime and logistics chain.

He said the situation also raised wider concerns about the effectiveness of enforcement in the country’s shipping industry. While authorities have written to the affected shipping lines, GIFF believes those efforts have not yet produced sufficient action to bring the operators into line.

“In this case, we seem to only hear letters being written to them. Letters are written to them all right. They still don’t care.”

GIFF is therefore pressing the government and regulatory institutions to introduce stronger enforcement measures and apply appropriate sanctions where necessary. The Institute says such steps are required to ensure that the container charge ceiling is respected by all shipping lines.

The organisation believes effective enforcement would help eliminate avoidable costs, give freight forwarders and importers greater certainty when planning expenses, and improve transparency throughout the maritime logistics chain.

For companies that rely on Ghana’s ports, GIFF says charges must be predictable and enforceable if businesses are to manage their operating costs effectively and compete in the trading environment.

The call comes as freight and logistics operators continue to express broader concern about the rising cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports. Industry players maintain that regulatory decisions will have limited impact unless they are supported by mechanisms capable of ensuring compliance.

GIFF’s position is that the GH¢720 cap should not remain only a written instruction. In its view, regulatory authorities must ensure that shipping lines adhere to the limit so that freight forwarders and importers are not exposed to additional and avoidable charges.