Freight Forwarders bemoan unregulated shipping fees

The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) has renewed its call for tighter regulation of shipping line fees, vowing not to back down until rules requiring parliamentary approval of such charges are enforced.

The institute states that the current system enables shipping lines to impose unjustified and excessive fees, particularly administrative charges in U.S. dollars, even when a single bill of lading covers multiple containers.

 Though the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) has attempted to address the issue, GIFF believes those efforts have yielded little progress.

Speaking on behalf of GIFF's leadership, former president Edward Akrong stressed the urgency of reform.

“When a president speaks on an issue, it must be treated with the seriousness of law. Shipping lines are under the Shippers Authority, which falls under the Ministry of Transport. We’ll push until Parliament acts if we must,” Akrong stated.

He also proposed that the Ghana Revenue Authority's Customs Division separate duty payments from shipping line release processes, warning that the current system causes unnecessary delays and increased demurrage costs, especially when containers can’t be released over weekends.

“If I pay my duties on Friday and the shipping line is shut until Monday, that’s two days lost—and it’s money out of businesses’ pockets,” he explained.

Adding to the conversation, Samson Asaki Awingobit, Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, called on the Bank of Ghana to crack down on dollar-denominated transactions.

“The dollarization of fees weakens the cedi. The Bank of Ghana must move beyond issuing directives—they need to enforce them. Transactions in foreign currency, especially by shipping companies, are undermining our economy.”

Both associations are urging authorities to take bold steps to protect Ghanaian businesses from what they describe as exploitative and unlawful practices by foreign shipping lines.