In view of the escalating global freight tariffs and mounting anxieties over climate-induced regulation, Ghana’s maritime heavyweights are steering toward deeper collaboration to proactively tackle the anticipated fall outs of the situation on Ghanaian traders. On Tuesday, 16th April 2025, at the Shippers’ House, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Professor Ransford Gyampo, hosted top executives of the Ghana Chamber of Shipping in what was more than a routine courtesy call—it was a deliberate engagement between institutional equals intent on confronting a sector bracing through economic, environmental, and regulatory headwinds.
The Chamber, under the presidency of ved with an increasing cost of doing business,” he emphasized, referencing the recently concluded Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) negotiations in London. “The immediate consequence to us and to Africa will be an increase in transport costs by 80%.”
For a continent already burdened with disproportionately high freight charges, such a projection signals more than a financial strain—it foreshadows a bigger socio-economic concern.
The Chamber’s visit brought both institutional memory and policy insight. Tracing its formation to 2018, Mr. Ahorlu presented the vision of its founders— the late Alhaji Asuma Banda, Ben Owusu Mensah, Captain Aaron Turkson, and lawyer Alex Buabeng—and reaffirmed the Chamber’s core mandate: to serve as an independent, non-aligned voice in maritime policy. “We thought there was a void,” he said. “We needed a think tank to bridge the divide between regulators and the players on the ground.”
Modelled after the International Chamber of Shipping, Ghana’s Chamber is firmly rooted in the indigenous private sector. Its role: to sharpen policy dialogue, advocate for domestic stakeholders, and inject grounded realism into government strategy. “We believe we can be a significant help to the Authority,” Mr. Ahorlu said; “not necessarily echoing government’s views, but offering the perspective of the industry’s foot soldiers.”
One such voice—seasoned and institutionally steeped—is Dr. Kofi Mbiah, the Chamber’s Chief Executive, and also the longest-serving CEO in the history of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, positioning him as a pivotal figure across generations of shipping, logistics and maritime governance. His reflections carried the weight of continuity. “At the last MEPC, one would think climate change discussions wouldn’t concern shippers’ organisations,” he observed. “But the truth is, they will be the ones absorbing the costs. We must not be oblivious of these developments when planning our strategic direction.”
For Prof. Gyampo, such perspectives are not only welcome—they are essential. “It’s been on my schedule to reach out to you because of what you stand for in the industry, and what you do,” he said to Dr. Mbiah. “You can be assured that the best thing I know how to do is to consult and to work with people.”
The meeting reflected the ethic espoused in by the GSA CEO. For Prof. Gyampo—whose policy ethos is deeply rooted in democratic accountability and public engagement—learning from Dr. Mbiah, who has served both domestically and with international regulators, forms a critical part of his approach to governance and leadership. “I have availed myself of every opportunity to learn,” he said, with characteristic candour.
The significance of the meeting was not lost on either side. Representing the Chamber were Executive Secretary Madam Gloria Bamfowaa, Executive Council Members, Mr. Gordon Anim and Mr. HRT Ali, alongside Dr. Mbiah and Mr. Ahorlu. On the GSA side, Professor Gyampo was joined by Mr. Fred Asiedu Dartey (Head of Business Development and Commercial Services), Mrs. Monica Josiah (Head of Operations), Madam Bernice Natue (Head of Corporate Affairs), and Mrs. Vida Ackom (Personal Assistant to the CEO).
The stakes, however, transcend individual portfolios. As global maritime regulations tighten and freight economics spiral beyond control, Ghana’s shipping future will depend not just on legislation or corporate positioning—but on the depth of dialogue between its core institutions. Tuesday’s meeting may not have yielded grand declarations or binding resolutions, but it delivered something far rarer in public sector discourse: a sober alignment of vision, and a commitment to collaboration grounded in mutual respect.
