President John Dramani Mahama has instructed Attorney General Dominic Ayine and Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe to look into all fees charged by shipping companies doing business in Ghana right away and make sure Parliament approves them.
President Mahama emphasized that any charges imposed without parliamentary consent are unlawful and unwarranted in his remarks on Friday, July 11. He issued the decision in reaction to the President’s meeting with freight forwarders, who expressed concern that certain shipping lines impose unapproved administrative fees that boost operating costs and jeopardize revenue optimization at Ghanaian ports.
“We have charged the Minister of Transport to go into it and sit with the shipping lines and look into those administrative charges.
“The law says fees and levies shall be ratified by Parliament, and so nobody can come and charge any fees within the jurisdiction of Ghana. We consulted the Attorney General, and you cannot charge any fee or levy within the territories of Ghana without parliamentary approval,” he said.