The Minority in Parliament has urged the government to enforce the Ghana Shippers Authority Act, Act 1122, cautioning that delays in its implementation have created a regulatory vacuum in the maritime sector.
They explained that the absence of the necessary Legislative Instrument (L.I.) has left the Ghana Shippers Authority without full legal authority to regulate shipping charges and safeguard importers.
According to the Minority, this gap has enabled shipping lines and vessel operators to impose arbitrary fees without proper justification, thereby increasing the financial burden on Ghanaian businesses.
They emphasized that the Act was passed specifically to empower the GSA to oversee pricing practices and prevent unjustified charges, but its effectiveness has been undermined by the lack of implementation.
“The failure of Government to implement the Ghana Shipper’s Act 2024, Act 1122 has created the regulatory gap within the maritime sector leaving Ghanaians exposed to arbitrary charges by shipping lines. The ACT which was passed to empower the Ghana Shippers Authority to regulate and prevent the imposition of unjustified fees remain effectively unforced due to the absent of necessary legislative instrument required for its full implementation.
“As a result, shipping lines and ship owners continue to enforce and apply arbitrary charges without adequate justification in the absence of a fully operational legal frameworks, these entities have taken advantage of the situation imposing cost that will place an undue financial burden on the Ghanaian importers,” the Minority stated.
They cited a recent case in which an importer was charged a $1,000 Emergency Conflict Surcharge, allegedly linked to tensions in the Middle East, even though the cargo had been shipped weeks before the conflict escalated.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, March 24, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Roads and Transportation Committee, described the delay in implementing the Act more than a year after the current administration assumed office as unacceptable.
He stressed that the continued inaction undermines efforts to ensure discipline and fairness in the maritime sector.
The Minority has therefore called on the Ministry of Transport to urgently present the required Legislative Instrument to Parliament to enable full enforcement of the law.
“We on the Minority side are therefore calling on government through the Ministry of Transport to as a matter of urgency lay before Parliament the required Legislative Instrument to activate the full enforcement of the Act.
“Without a legally empowered authority to regulate pricing practice, shipping lines will continue to introduce arbitrary fees that place undue financial burden on Ghanaian importers.”
