Ghana Shippers' Authority engages GUTA, COFFA on measures to reduce shipping cost

Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) has held engagements with the Ghana Union of Traders Associations (GUTA) and the Committee of Freight Forwarders' Association (COFFA) on ways to reduce the cost of shipping.

The engagement is part of efforts to make shipping a cost-effective venture for importers and exporters.

The meeting, which was held at the Shippers’ House in Accra, was facilitated by the GSA in line with its mandate to protect and promote the interest of shippers in Ghana.

The GSA said it had prioritised the education and sensitisation of shippers on the avoidance of demurrage as part of its activities for the year.

The executives of GUTA and COFFA collectively noted the consistent increase in freight due to COVID-19 as well as demurrage – cost incurred for overstayed cargo – as their major operational cost element and hoped that measures would be put in place to address them.

Benonita Bismarck, Chief Executive Officer, Ghana Shippers’ Authority, assured leadership of GUTA and COFFA that the Authority would continue to work to improve trade at the ports by reducing the bottlenecks involved in shipping.

She reiterated the GSA’s commitment to deepening its relationship with freight forwarders as key stakeholders in the industry and that it would continue to collaborate on diverse issues for the advancement of the shipping and logistics industry, particularly in the interest of shippers in Ghana.