All importers who were wrongly billed new shipping surcharges due to tensions in the Middle East will receive refunds in the coming days.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, March 11, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA), Ransford Gyampo, indicated that the refunds has become possible following an internal investigation.

“Our investigations show that there was a global announcement to all CMA-CGM shipping agencies to invoke the War Clause Surcharge in their list of charges.The shipping lines use a shared centre where invoices are generated globally. The shared centre automated the system to generate the currently disputed cost line. This anomaly is at the moment being corrected, and all who have been surcharged would receive a refund from the shipping line,”he added.

His comment follows persistent calls from affected importers who have been demanding for a probe into the natter.

The ongoing tensions have been linked to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reportedly killed in strikes by the Unites States (U.S.) and Israel. This development significantly impacting travelers from Ghana to Asia, Europe, and North America, as Dubai is a major transit hub connecting travelers through the United Arab Emirates.

On Saturday, 28 February, Emirates flight EK 788 from Kotoka International Airport (ACC) in Accra to Dubai International Airport (DXB) was cancelled, and passengers were advised to contact their airlines for rebooking or refund options due the ongoing tensions.

The airline suspended its services following reported bombings in Iraq and retaliatory attacks across the region.

The flight from Accra to Dubai International Airport, scheduled for 7:15 pm GMT on Saturday, 28 February 2026, was canceled at the last minute through a notice.

Last year, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, warned the Israeli Embassy against maltreating Ghanaian nationals. Speaking to the media on Thursday, December 11, Mr. Ablakwa noted that Ghana will respond with equal force if any of its citizens are deported.

According to him, “If they deport ten Ghanaians, we will deport ten. If they deport twenty, we will deport twenty. If they deport fifty, we will deport fifty. We are not going to accept this.”

His comments are in response to an incident in which several Ghanaian travellers, including four members of a parliamentary delegation en route to Tel Aviv for an international cybersecurity conference, were detained and deported by Israel Embassy officials.

Mr. Ablakwa narrated, “We were told that the Ghanaian Embassy was uncooperative, but the facts simply do not support that. Out of the six people on the list that Israel provided, one is not even Ghanaian. He is Gabonese. Our embassy had every right to verify the identity of the individuals involved.

"One of the people listed was seriously ill, and Israeli doctors themselves advised that she should not travel until she had recovered. How can you deport someone who is unwell and needs medical attention? Another individual had already been issued a travel certificate, so there was no reason to stop their entry into Israel.”

But in their actions, Israeli officials indicated that six Ghanaians who were supposedly due for deportation failed to provide the necessary details needed by Ghana’s Embassy in Tel Aviv to issue travel certificates.

The matter adds to broader concerns surrounding deportation practices. In September, eleven West African nationals filed two ex-parte applications at the Labour Division of the High Court in Accra, challenging their alleged detention in Ghana after being deported from the United States (U.S).

The eleven individuals include Nigerians Daniel Osas Aigbosa, Ahmed Animashaun, Ifeanyi Okechukwu, and Taiwo K. Lawson; Liberian national Kalu John; Togolese nationals Zito Yao Bruno and Agouda Richarla Oukpedzo Sikiratou; Gambian national Sidiben Dawda; and Malians Toure Dianke and Boubou Gassama.

According to the applicants, they were forcibly transported to Ghana without prior notice. They allege that they were secretly moved from the U.S. detention centers between September 5 and 6 in shackles.

They want the court to temporarily stop them from being deported back to their home countries until the court decides on their case. Their submission further revealed that Ghanaian authorities allegedly confined them in a military facility.

They cited Article 14(1) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, which guarantees personal liberty, as well as Article 23, which protects the right to administrative justice.

They are arguing that Ghana is violating international law by trying to send them back to countries where their lives or freedom could be at risk.

As a result, they have demanded that the Attorney-General, the Chief of Defence Staff, and the Comptroller-General of the Ghana Immigration Service appear before the Human Rights Division of the High Court with valid reasons. The court has fixed Tuesday, September 23, to hear the case.