He said taxes on transit goods were being reviewed to be competitive in the ports industry.
He said this when he received a delegation from the Ministry of Transport led by Mrs Dorcas Affo-Toffey, the Deputy Minister of Transport.

The Deputy Minister was on tour of the Port, Tema Shipyard and Regional Maritime University to familiarise herself with their operations.

The Acting Director-General said the Authority was aware of the issues in the sector and held a stakeholder discussion to resolve client challenges.

“We have resolved to position our seaports as effective tools in the development agenda of the country,” he said.

He said the Authority was working to address problems associated with the demurrage, adding that the shipping lines benefited from such proceeds.
He said the Authority had commenced the 24-hour economy at the ports and needed lights to make the services fast and smooth.

Dr Kingsley Antwi- Boasiako, General Manager, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, said the Authority had modernised the container terminals, transit terminal, and Tema Fishing Harbour to be fit for purpose.

The Authority, he stated, had acquired additional cargo handling equipment and a linkage route from terminal three to two.

The construction of part of the community road networks and the rehabilitation of Tema Mankoadze Road, among others.

The Deputy Minister commended the management of the Authority for the great initiatives chalked, urging them to sustain the gains and make the sector the best in the sub-region.
She stated that the country’s ports were the gateway to international trade, assuring the public of putting the right policies in place to improve the sector and accelerate economic growth.

At the Tema Shipyard, the Deputy Minister said the government was working to develop a policy to leverage public-private partnerships to make Tema Shipyard a viable and efficient entity.

She said the facility, since its inauguration in the 1970s, had not seen any major facelift, leading to the decay of some infrastructure works.
She said the Tema Shipyard had the potential to create job opportunities for the teeming youth and ensure economic development.

Mr Osman Sulemana, the Chief Executive Officer of Tema Shipyard, said the industry was capital intensive and required huge investment to drive economic growth.
He said the shipyard used to have 22 staff but had been increased to 85 and over 450 contract workers to boost operations.

At the Regional Maritime University, the Minister said the institution was strategically placed to play a key role in the 24-hour economy to boost the country’s human resource base, particularly in the maritime industry.
She said the institution could also align with Ghana’s blue economy agenda, harnessing the opportunities presented by the ocean resources to drive growth in the maritime industry.

Effective governance, she stressed, began with listening and collaborating with those on the front lines of service delivery.

Dr Jethro W.Brooks Jnr , the Vice-Chancellor of the University, commended the Minister for the visit and pledged to continue to promote knowledge and human resource development for the West and Central subregion.