A high-level delegation from the Nigeria Shippers’ Council (NSC) and the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy has praised the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) for its effective regulation of Ghana’s commercial shipping industry. The team, currently on a week-long fact-finding mission in Ghana, noted that the GSA’s operations mirror their own mandate in Nigeria and provide valuable lessons despite differences in their legal backing.
While the GSA operates under Act 1122, passed in 2024, which formally establishes it as the regulator of commercial shipping in Ghana, the NSC’s authority stems from a Presidential Executive Order issued in 2014. According to the delegation, the Presidential Executive Order was initially resisted by stakeholders but was later resolved through the intervention of the Federal Ministry of Transportation. Currently, a bill on the Nigeria Port Economic Regulatory Agency, which seeks to provide strong legal backing for the economic regulatory role of the NSC, is awaiting presidential assent.
Explaining the purpose of their visit, Mr. Sarumi Jelili Adesina, Head of the Enforcement Unit at the NSC, said the team hopes to exchange ideas on the regulatory roles of the two institutions to ensure uniform trade facilitation within the sub-region. “We see a lot of similarities in our operations and challenges. The exchange of ideas with the GSA will give us the insight we need to broaden our scope and strengthen our role as regulators,” he noted.
The visit follows a similar mission to Nigeria in May 2024, when the GSA led a delegation that included members of Ghana’s Parliamentary Select Committee on Transport, the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA), and the Committee of Freight Forwarders Association (CoFFA). That engagement was aimed at deepening cooperation between the two institutions and harmonizing practices across the West African shipping corridor.
Welcoming the NSC delegation, Mrs. Sylvia Asana Dauda Owu, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GSA in charge of Technical Services, stressed the need for a united front among Shippers’ Councils in the sub-region. She called for collective action against arbitrary charges by some shipping lines to ensure the cost of doing business at ports remains competitive.
Her colleague, Mr. Prince Henry Ankrah, Deputy CEO in charge of Operations, also commended the NSC for being ahead in automating port operations, adding that Ghana stands to benefit from sharing best practices with Nigeria.
The Nigerian team included Mrs. Josephin Salami of the NSC and Mr. Aliyu Mohammed Suru from the Federal Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy. From the GSA side, the delegation was joined by Mrs. Monica Josiah, Head of Shippers Services and Trade Facilitation, and Mr. Fred Asiedu Dartey, Head of Freight and Logistics.
As part of their visit, the NSC delegation is scheduled to tour the Tema Port, where they will interact with service providers and gain firsthand insight into Ghana’s port operations.
