IEAG petitions Mahama to remove SOAAG reps from GMA, GPHA boards

The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has petitioned President John Mahama to remove representatives of the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG) from the boards of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) and the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).

The Association says the continued presence of shipping interests on the boards should be reviewed over what it describes as persistent disregard for government directives and growing concerns about accountability within Ghana’s maritime sector.

IEAG Executive Secretary Samson Asaki Awingboit who spoke at a press conference on Monday, September 14, said the petition was also motivated by concerns over the continued imposition of the Container Administrative Charge on importers.

“IEAG finds it unacceptable that importers continue to bear a charge of approximately US$165 per container under the Container Administrative Charge when a regulatory directive and a High Court ruling have established a GHC720 per TEU ceiling for both import and export containers.”

The Association argues that continued resistance by sections of the shipping industry to regulatory directives undermines government authority and places additional financial pressure on traders.

IEAG cited the 2016 dispute over Terminal Handling Charges as a historical precedent for its concerns. It said shipping lines continued imposing the charges despite a directive from the Ministry of Transport until interventions by the then GPHA Director-General, Richard Anamoo, and President John Mahama led to compliance.

Mr Awingboit said the recurrence of similar confrontations raises questions about the relationship between shipping interests, state regulators and other stakeholders.

“It is therefore legitimate for the President to ask whether organisations that are beneficiaries of representation on state boards are demonstrating the level of institutional responsibility, regulatory compliance and respect for public authority expected of board members and industry representatives.”

IEAG is calling for a review of SOAAG’s continued representation on the two maritime boards in the interest of good governance, accountability and balanced stakeholder representation.

The petition comes as the Association also presses for urgent government intervention to address congestion at Ghana’s ports, warning that delays and rising operational costs could undermine the country’s trade competitiveness.