The Minister of Transport, Mr. Kweku Ofori-Asiamah has expressed Government’s commitment to tackling issues of road transport by working closely with industry players to ensure the smooth movement of goods and people in the West Africa sub-region.
Deputy Transport Minister, Hon. Titus Glover addressing the stakeholders
According to him, government recognises the crucial role of transport in trade facilitation, social development and the growth of national and regional economies.
“For this reason, reducing cost, delays and removing all unnecessary obstacles within the transport corridors within our sub-region will not only make trading more competitive and accessible but will also bring about development.”, he added
He gave the assurance to stakeholders in a speech read on his behalf by the Deputy Transport Minister, Hon. Titus Glover at the opening ceremony of the 8th Borderless Alliance Africa Conference in Accra on 24th April, 2019.
In a welcome address, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Ms Benonita Bismarck reiterated her outfit’s commitment to addressing recurring challenges affecting transit shippers.
She said concerted efforts have been made by the GSA in addressing issues of inadequate tracking devices, red-tapeism on the corridor, detention of Ghanaian trucks at the Burkina Faso border, Goro boys, high cost of laissez passer among others.
The GSA, according to Ms Bismarck, has been collaborating with the West Africa Trade Hub, subsequently Borderless Alliance, for the past 13 years to pursue the agenda of fluidity in trade traffic in the sub-region through advocacy and the development of innovative products for addressing bottlenecks to trade along Ghana’s transit corridor.
The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Alan Kyeremanten urged the private sector and civil society organisations and advocacy groups like the Borderless Alliance to continue to engage and dialogue with ECOWAS governments to push for reforms in trade facilitation.
On his part, the Borderless Alliance Executive Committee President, Mr Jonas Lago, indicated that since his organisation’s establishment seven years ago, it has received support from partners which have led to laudable results in improving governance and trade in West Africa.
A cross-section of the participants
The 3-day Conference is under the theme “Facilitating intra-regional trade in West Africa-Emerging Trends.” It has attracted participants from the region’s leading trading companies, transport and logistics companies, financial institutions with representatives from USAID, ECOWAS, UEMOA and ministries from West Africa states.
