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Management of Shippers Council to
construct freight parks to reduce accidents
Tema, April 04, GNA - The Management of Ghana Shippers
Council (GSC) is to construct freight parks with basic
facilities along the country’s major roads to enable haulage
drivers have enough rest before continuing their journey.
The parks to be located at Nkwakaw, Techiman, Tamale and
Paga would have wash rooms, resting, sleeping and changing
places for drivers.
Mr Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive Officer of GSC who announced
this at Tema on Tuesday said this would help address the
frequent road accidents in the country.
Mr Mbiah was addressing members of the Eastern Region
Shippers Committee of the Council during their first
familiarization tour of Tema Port to acquaint themselves
with its operations.
The members include Importers and Exporters from the private
sector, small scale entrepreneurs, traditional and
non-traditional exporters.
Mr Mbiah noted that most of the road accidents were due to
restlessness when the drivers felt sleepy behind the
steering wheel due to long distance driving without rest.
He said a study had been instituted on the erection of
several police and Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS)
check points on the roads to facilitate trade within the
West African Trade Hub.
Mr Mbiah advised shippers to take advantage of their
strategic position within the corridor to transact genuine
business by engaging the services of qualified Freight
Forwarders or Clearing Agents to facilitate trade.
He announced that clearance procedure at the port would be
made public soon to eliminate activities of “Goro Boys” who
indulged in illegal clearing activities.
Mr Mbiah said the Council had instituted measures to
facilitate business at the port and these included the
establishment of information centres furnished with
computers and urged the members to be computer literate to
access their own information.
Mr Samuel Ntow Kumi, Tema Port Coordinator, briefing the
members said plans were far advanced to submit a Bill to
Parliament to empower Terminal Managers to auction cargoes
that had overstayed to ease congestion at the port.
He said according to the port law, cargoes that had
overstayed after 60 days grace period should be auctioned
but some containers of cargoes had overstayed for many years
and the law had not been applied on them.
Mr Kumi said personnel of CEPS were supposed to enforce the
port law but it was applied only to vehicles that had
overstayed and not other cargoes.
The shippers led by port officials toured the Golden Jubilee
Container terminal and sheds especially where their goods
are discharged and expressed satisfaction with the quality
of development at the port.
GNA
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