Importers and Freight Forwarders urge GSA to intervene amid internet outage

Importers and freight forwarders operating at the Tema Port are urging the Ghana Shippers Authority to intervene and ensure that shipping lines refrain from imposing extra charges for demurrages due to the recent internet outage in the country.

The disruption in internet services has caused delays in cargo clearance at Ghana's busiest seaport, resulting in demurrages that are adding to

Read full articlethe cost of business operations, as stated by Paulina Abrokwah, co-chairperson of the Technical Committee of the Tema District of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF).

"We hope that amid this situation, shipping lines and terminals will show understanding and waive any additional costs related to delays. We expect the Ghana Shippers Authority to lead efforts to prevent importers from bearing the burden of demurrages due to the widespread internet outage," she emphasized.

Abrokwah anticipates the Ghana Shippers Authority's intervention to prevent shipping lines from exploiting the situation to impose extra charges for delays caused by the internet disruption. She noted that banking operations have also been severely affected, hindering duty payments and subsequent cargo processing.

The National Communication Authority (NCA) has projected a minimum of five weeks for the repair of faulty undersea cables and the restoration of stable internet connections in affected countries.

In response to the challenges faced by importers, Samson Azaki Awingobit, Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana, has called on the Economic Management Team (EMT) to swiftly devise alternative strategies to mitigate the hardships experienced by importers.