PORTS in the West African nation of Ghana can expect increases in cargo volumes in 2020 following the positioning of Tema and Takoradi ports as transshipment and oil and gas hubs respectively.
Director General, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Michael Luguje, made the projections noting that the authority had made major investments to enable Ghana's ports to serve as an incentive for the facilitation of intra-African trade, following the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Mr Luguje commented: 'We have positioned our ports for global trade, and while we do that we also are looking forward to more intra-African trade going maritime.'
He revealed that the Port of Tema, for instance, had been positioned as the best in terms of infrastructure in the West and Central African sub-region.
'If you look at port infrastructure in the perspective of container capacity, Ghana is leading today in West and Central Africa,' he said.
He projected that with the opening of Meridian Ports Services (MPS) terminal three within the Tema Port and the Takoradi Port's expansion, Ghana would attract more maritime businesses in the year 2020, reports the Netherlands-based GhanaWeb.
He explained that the MPS Terminal 3 operated on a first come first serve basis and therefore did not prioritise certain shipping lines, hence, giving the Tema Port a competitive advantage over other ports.
Mr Luguji revealed that the investment made in Port of Takoradi would boost its import handling capacity comparable with that of Tema.
He said transit trade was the most competitive part of the port business adding that the Port Authority was doing a lot, including applying competitive tariffs, to woo cargo bound for the landlocked countries through the Ghanaian corridor.
Apart from calling on the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to reconsider its decision to charge 17.5 per cent VAT on transit cargoes, Mr Luguje also advocated for the improvement of Ghana's rail infrastructure to give the country a major competitive advantage in the transit business.
WORLD SHIPPING
Director General, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Michael Luguje, made the projections noting that the authority had made major investments to enable Ghana's ports to serve as an incentive for the facilitation of intra-African trade, following the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Mr Luguje commented: 'We have positioned our ports for global trade, and while we do that we also are looking forward to more intra-African trade going maritime.'
He revealed that the Port of Tema, for instance, had been positioned as the best in terms of infrastructure in the West and Central African sub-region.
'If you look at port infrastructure in the perspective of container capacity, Ghana is leading today in West and Central Africa,' he said.
He projected that with the opening of Meridian Ports Services (MPS) terminal three within the Tema Port and the Takoradi Port's expansion, Ghana would attract more maritime businesses in the year 2020, reports the Netherlands-based GhanaWeb.
He explained that the MPS Terminal 3 operated on a first come first serve basis and therefore did not prioritise certain shipping lines, hence, giving the Tema Port a competitive advantage over other ports.
Mr Luguji revealed that the investment made in Port of Takoradi would boost its import handling capacity comparable with that of Tema.
He said transit trade was the most competitive part of the port business adding that the Port Authority was doing a lot, including applying competitive tariffs, to woo cargo bound for the landlocked countries through the Ghanaian corridor.
Apart from calling on the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) to reconsider its decision to charge 17.5 per cent VAT on transit cargoes, Mr Luguje also advocated for the improvement of Ghana's rail infrastructure to give the country a major competitive advantage in the transit business.
WORLD SHIPPING