The nation’s strategic effort to enhance trade competitiveness was reinforced on Wednesday 1st October 2025 when Deputy Transport Minister, Hon. Dorcas Affo-Toffey paid a courtesy call on the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), as part of her tour of the Agencies under the Ministry.
The central theme of the engagement was the alignment of the Ministry of Transport and GSA efforts to meet a core national objective: reducing the cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports and expediting the completion of key port infrastructure, including the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT).
In the meeting with GSA’s Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, and the Management team, Madam Affo-Toffey emphasized that the tour was essential for gaining firsthand understanding of the operations of GSA to enable the Ministry to provide fit-for-purpose support. The goal, she stated, is to create a more cost-effective and competitive trade environment in West Africa.
“I am here to see and hear firsthand how the GSA operates, so that I can support my boss, the Minister to help reduce the cost of doing business at the ports to make Ghana very competitive in the sub-region and beyond,” the Deputy Minister stated, setting a firm tone for collaboration.
Prof. Gyampo welcomed the Minister and detailed GSA’s recent successful interventions that have already provided significant relief to shippers.
He first highlighted the GSA’s effective advocacy to the Bank of Ghana (BoG) regarding arbitrary forex charges by shipping lines. This effort resulted in a landmark policy directive issued in July 2025, to standardize the application of exchange rates within the shipping sector, thereby preventing profiteering and introducing financial predictability.
The CEO also referenced GSA’s critical role earlier this year in negotiating Cocoa Freight rates, securing favourable rates for major export shipments destined for the UK, Asia, and Europe. This intervention, he noted, directly ensured that Ghanaian shippers, particularly those in the vital cocoa trade, operated under fairer freight terms.
Shifting focus to infrastructure, Prof. Gyampo underscored the urgent necessity to complete the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT). He described the inland port project, near Kumasi, as a national economic imperative that promises to fundamentally ease congestion at major seaports, revolutionize inland transportation efficiency, and cement Ghana’s strategic position as a transit hub for its landlocked neighbors in the sub-region.
Concluding the meeting, the Deputy Minister assured the GSA of the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to working closely with the GSA and other industry stakeholders to deliver tangible, measurable results that ultimately reduce costs across Ghana’s trade corridors.
