New GSA law to transform shipping industry \u2013 Glover<\/a><\/p>\nThey also cautioned that the SPN risks duplicating the government\u2019s own plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence through customs to combat revenue leakage, creating an uncoordinated parallel system. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe SPN adds no real-time tracking, risk analysis, or verification capability. It is merely an administrative transaction that introduces an unnecessary bureaucratic hurdle, defeating the objective of trade facilitation,\u201d the coalition declared. <\/p>\n
The group has called for an immediate and full reassessment of the initiative, reminding the GSA of its strengthened mandate under the Ghana Shippers\u2019 Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122) to protect traders from exploitative practices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe remain ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Shippers\u2019 Authority and all relevant bodies to develop policies that genuinely reduce the cost of doing business and facilitate trade,\u201d the statement concluded.<\/p>\n
Read the full statement below:<\/p>\n
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<\/p>\n
Coalition of Concerned Exporters, Importers and Traders Rejects Proposed Smart Port Note, Calls for Policy Reassessment<\/p>\n
ACCRA, Ghana, December 29, 2025 \u2014 A Coalition of Concerned Exporters, Importers and Traders has reviewed the Ghana Shippers\u2019 Authority (GSA) notice regarding the mandatory rollout of the Smart Port Note (SPN) effective February 1, 2026. The Coalition fundamentally opposes this policy, warning it will impose unnecessary costs and bureaucratic burdens on Ghanaian traders, defeating the government\u2019s trade facilitation agenda.<\/p>\n
Questioning the Policy Justification
\nWhile the GSA cites goals of trade facilitation, compliance, cargo monitoring, and the availability of reliable shipping and logistics data, no position paper has been provided to demonstrate how the SPN uniquely achieves these outcomes. The policy appears to be designed solely to generate revenue for the service provider, Inter-Ocean Maritime and Logistics Institute (IOMLI), contradicting GSA\u2019s core mandate to protect shippers from unnecessary costs. Previous stakeholder objections to similar schemes have been ignored. <\/p>\n
Lack of Mandate and Practical Deficiencies
\nThe SPN, an advance shipment notification platform, is a tool for pre-shipment inspection and compliance. This is a function outside the GSA\u2019s jurisdiction and in conflict with the Ghana Revenue Authority\u2019s (GRA) destination-inspection regime. Critically, the GSA has not shown alignment or approval from the GRA to introduce this system. Furthermore, while Antaser Afrique can compel importers or their agents to submit trade data, it holds no legal authority to compel suppliers at ports of origin to submit such data, rendering its verification capability ineffective. This fundamental flaw, among others, explains why CTN\/SPN has failed to deliver proven benefits elsewhere in the region. <\/p>\n
Duplication with National AI Strategy and Added Costs
\nThe SPN directly risks duplicating the government\u2019s own announced plans to deploy Artificial Intelligence through customs to combat revenue leakage. This creates an uncoordinated, parallel system that undermines national digital modernisation efforts.<\/p>\n
Critically, the claim that the SPN imposes \u201cno additional cost\u201d on Ghanaian traders is misleading, as all fees charged to exporters are ultimately passed to Ghanaian consignees, for whom it will be a direct, new financial burden.<\/p>\n
Ineffectiveness as a Cargo Monitoring Tool
\nGhana\u2019s existing Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) already provides full cargo data and inventory history. The current framework combines carrier tracking, risk profiling, scanning and audits. The SPN adds no real-time tracking, risk analysis, or verification capability. It is merely an administrative transaction that introduces an unnecessary bureaucratic hurdle, defeating the objective of trade facilitation.<\/p>\n
Conclusion: An Urgent Call for Full Reassessment
\nThe Coalition of Concerned Exporters, Importers and Traders calls for an immediate and full reassessment of the Smart Port Note initiative. The policy lacks justification, duplicates existing systems, increases costs, and was developed without exhaustive stakeholder consultation.<\/p>\n
The GSA is reminded that its strengthened mandate under the Ghana Shippers\u2019 Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122) is to sanitise the shipping industry and protect Ghanaian traders from exploitative practices by shipping service providers, especially the shipping lines\u2014not to introduce them.<\/p>\n
The Coalition remains ready to collaborate with the Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Finance, the Ghana Revenue Authority, the Ghana Shippers\u2019 Authority and all relevant bodies to develop policies that genuinely reduce the cost of doing business and facilitate trade.<\/p>\n
About the Coalition of Concerned Exporters, Importers and Traders:
\nThe Coalition is composed of exporters, importers and traders who have come together to advocate for policies that enhance fair trade, reduce operational burdens, and promote economic growth. <\/p>\n
For more information, contact
\nMichael Obiri-Adjei
\nConvener
\n0201721340<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Coalition of Concerned Exporters, Importers and Traders has strongly rejected the Ghana Shippers\u2019 Authority\u2019s (GSA) planned rollout…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":378475,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[28,101],"class_list":{"0":"post-378474","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-economy"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=378474"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/378474\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/378475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=378474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=378474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=378474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}