Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has denied accusations of imposing excessively high port charges, stating that it is responsible for only around 10% of the total fees and levies at the ports.Director-General Michael Luguji emphasised this point during a meeting with Finance Minister Mohammed Amin Adam and his delegation.

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He called for a thorough review and restructuring of the port clearance system to ease the financial burden on importers.Luguji pointed out that while the GPHA is often associated with port-related charges, a closer examination of invoices reveals a variety of customs duties, levies, and fees from other government agencies that are not under the purview of the GPHA.

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“Whenever a typical invoice is raised from the port, then the agency that comes to mind is the GPHA, which everyone knows as the Authority that handles port stuff. However, when you study the invoice carefully, there are customs duties, levies, and other government agency charges that cannot be attributed to GPHA in any way.

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“Counting the number of levies and taxes, I can see about 22 government taxes or levies on the invoice of an importer and this is a challenge because we did research that indicates that our contribution to that entire cost of clearing is less than 10%", Luguji stated, stressing the need for a fairer distribution of costs within the port system.

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The purpose of the finance minister's visit, along with ministry officials, was to gain direct insight into port operations, demonstrating the government's dedication to addressing issues and enhancing efficiency within the port industry.

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