Businesses, Industry fight Shippers Authority over ASHI

By Philip Otuo,

The Joint Consultative Business Association – made up of various businesses organisations – which recently suspended a planned strike concerning the implementation of the Advance Shipment Information (ASHI) and Ghana Conformity Assessment Program (G-CAP) systems, has accused the Ghana Shippers Authority of “blatantly defying the orders of the President by trying to use all means necessary to implement the ASHI.”

G-CAP is a conformity assessment process used to verify that products imported to Ghana meet the necessary standards.

ASHI is an electronic platform by which relevant shipment information is received in advance of vessel arrival in Ghana to enable pre-arrival clearance processes.

This is to help minimise the cost of clearing cargo at the port by reducing delays as well as high demurrage and rent charges. Its implementation has, however, been postponed to April on the orders of the Transport Ministry.

The Government recently suspended the two programmes pending further consultations with the various business groups.

The suspension followed the strike threat by the Joint Consultative Business Associations comprising: Ghana Chamber of Commerce, The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), Ghana Automobile Dealers Association (GADA), Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), the Food and Beverages Association of Ghana (FABAG), Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, Customs Brokers Association of Ghana, Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the joint group said it has “never met or held discussions or consultations with the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA) towards the implementation of the Advance Shipment Information (ASHI) which has been indefinitely suspended by the government.”

“As far as the Joint Consultative Business Associations is concerned ASHI and G-CAP have indefinitely been suspended by the government,” and have therefore expressed regret that the Ghana Shippers Authority is going ahead with it.

In a statement issued Tuesday and jointly signed by the Association’s Spokesperson John Awuni and GUTA President George Ofori, the group said: “The Business community is resolved to ensure that no personal interest will over ride that of the business community and the National interest.”

“We are very convinced the programme is never in the interest of the state but only seeks to enrich a few self-centered individuals.

“We therefore advise our members, the business community, and our trading partners to ignore any information that comes from the GSA regarding the implementation of ASHI.

“We further advise the GSA to rather concern itself much more important issues pertaining to high demurrage and rent, general inefficiency at the ports and extortions that often comes from shipping lines,” the statement said.

“The group wishes to note that the problems confronting the business community are so numerous that any additional tax-oriented policy will aggravate the already precarious situation. It is important for policy makers to be sensitive to the plight of the business community in times like these,” the business groups said.



Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com/103.5fm