The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is appealing to President Akufo-Addo not to sign the Ghana Shippers Authority Act 2024.
The Association says there are critical issues in the document that need to be addressed first.
In a statement issued Wednesday, August 21, 2024, and signed by the President of the Association, Dr. Joseph Obeng, it stated that the stakeholders were not consulted in the drafting of the document.
According to the statement, certain concerns raised by the business community whom the Act affect directly were not addressed. Parliament also failed to show them the final draft before it was passed.
GUTA is therefore calling on the President to suspend the assent, or better still use a Legislative Instrument (L.I) to correct the issues it raised on the Act.
Find below the full statement issued by GUTA Wednesday:
Date: 21st August, 2024.
PRESS STATEMENT
TRADERS WOULD NOT ACCEPT ANY IMPORT LICENSING OR PERMIT
REGIME
The Business Community wishes to appeal to the President of the Republic not to assent to the Ghana Shippers Authority Act, 2024 until some critical issues raised on the Act by stakeholders are resolved.
They are as follows:
1. The issue of registration of shippers and shipping service providers were not discussed with us to make our input as stakeholders in the shipping industry.
2. Submission of notice of shipment was also not discussed with stakeholders for their input.
3. The final draft was issued to stakeholders only after Parliament had approved the Bill.
4. Issues raised on the suspension of registration, renewal of certificate of registration, cancellation of registration and outright rejection, which are only related to permits and licenses to operate as importers have not been resolved with stakeholders.
5. The Advance Shipment Information System that had been resisted and withdrawn by the Government in the past is now being reintroduced in the Act. Our position on that has not changed. Moreover, this information sought by the GSA is of no relevance to their operation.
6. For these reasons, the Ghana Shippers Authority had agreed to our concerns and promised that as the Act has already been passed by Parliament, they would use Legislative Instruments (LIs) to correct any defect or anomaly in the operationalization of the Act. However, our consultations suggest that LIs cannot override an Act, hence our call on the President of the Republic not to assent to the Act until all issues raised are resolved.
Signed
Dr. Joseph Obeng
President.
