Senior Police Officers in the Upper East Region have been urged to upgrade the level of professionalism among police officers to boost transit trade activities on the nation’s corridor.
This came up at sensitization seminar organised by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) in Bolgatanga on transit trade through Ghana’s major transit corridors.
The Authority said it had observed that the nation could be recording higher transit trade figures if Police Officers deal with transit truck drivers more professionally. It is estimated that transit trade contributes over 134 million cedis to the national economy.
Opening the seminar, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Ms. Benonita Bismarck, in a speech read on her behalf, underscored the importance of the seminars on transit trade for Police Officers with the objective of promoting transit trade through Ghana’s corridors.
She lauded the Ghana Police Service for their role in securing the transit corridors of Ghana. She also commended the commitment of the Ghana Police Administration, headed by the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, for the continuous collaboration between the GSA and the Police Administration to open up the nation’s transit corridors to transit shippers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
She however noted that, there were some challenges faced by transit shippers, transporters and livestock traders along the major transit corridors of Ghana due to the multiple police checkpoints, delays, and associated harassments of truck drivers.
She called on the Police Officers deployed along the corridor to ensure professionalism in their interactions with truck drivers to avoid delays and harassments which add to the cost of shipments. She noted that the Police have an important role to facilitate transit trade for the benefit of the economy and for socio-economic development.
Addressing the seminar, the Deputy Regional Police commander for the Upper East, DCOP Alexander Afenyo, commended the Ghana Shippers’ Authority for organizing the workshop to sensitize police officers on transit trade along Ghana’s transit corridors.
He emphasized the crucial role the Police play in securing the major transport corridors of the country and especially the safety of transit along the Tema-Paga transit corridor. He called on stakeholders such as the Customs Division of the GRA, Transporters, Truck drivers to cooperate with the Police in the enforcement of Road Traffic Regulations.
The sensitization seminar took place on 30th November and forms part of the series of similar seminars organised for Police Officers in the Ashanti, Bono, Bono East and Northern Regions of Ghana.
