Ginger buyers and sellers in the Nkyensenkoko community of the Juaboso district of the Western North region are calling on their Member of Parliament, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to come to their aid.
They want the MP’s intervention on what they describe as illegal and excessive charges imposed at the Gyato Customs Barrier.
According to the aggrieved traders, they legally import ginger from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire into Ghana for resale, and are subjected to questionable and burdensome charges.
They disclosed that they already pay a standard waybill fee of GH¢40 per bag of ginger. However, after this payment, customs officers at the Gyato barrier allegedly demand an additional fee of GH¢110 per bag, which the traders say lacks explanation or legal justification.
“When we ask for clarification on the extra charge, the customs officers refuse to give any answers. Sometimes, it even leads to confrontations,” lamented Kwabena Owusu Ansah, one of the leading ginger traders in the area.
Mr. Ansah further accused customs officials of using their authority to extort money from hardworking traders. “Our brothers from Côte d’Ivoire bring the ginger in, and we pay all the required waybill fees. Then suddenly, customs officers demand even more money, claiming it’s a form of duty yet it’s more expensive than the official waybill itself,” he explained.
He questioned whether the government officially mandates any such additional payment after the waybill. “We want to know from the authorities after paying for the waybill, are we expected to pay another fee at customs barriers, and why is it higher than the waybill itself?”
The ginger traders say their counterparts in other regions are not subjected to such steep charges, suggesting a lack of uniformity in the system and raising concerns over potential misconduct at the Gyato barrier.
They are calling on both the MP, Mintah Akandoh, and the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Juaboso, Alexander Adu Quist, to urgently step in and resolve the matter before tensions escalate further.
“This is the business we rely on to pay our children’s school fees and provide for our families,” one distressed seller noted. “We supported you with our strength during the elections to make you happy. Now that we are in pain, it’s your turn to support us.”
Some also expressed fear that customers are beginning to avoid buying from them due to the high costs caused by these alleged illegal fees — threatening the sustainability of their business.
“We are not engaging in illegal mining or any criminal activity. This is our honest business, and it’s all we have to survive,” one trader added.
The ginger traders have issued a passionate call to the government, the Member of Parliament, and the DCE to take swift action to end the extortion, protect their livelihoods, and ensure fairness in trade operations at the Gyato Customs Barrier.
By Emmanuel Sowah
