Foreign Engagement in Port Clearance Largely Attributed to Freight Forwarding Associations

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Mr. Samson Asaki Awingobit, the Executive Secretary of the Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG), has criticized freight forwarding companies and associations for enabling the influx of foreigners in the port clearance business in Ghana.

According to Mr. Awingobit, these companies and associations are aware of Ghanaian laws prohibiting foreigners from engaging in freight forwarding. However, they issue letters to foreigners that enable them to clear goods at the ports instead of seeking the services of local agents.

He expressed concern over the increasing number of foreign individuals engaged in port clearance activities, while local clearing agents are left without work. Mr. Awingobit highlighted the presence of many clearing agents at the Tema Port who are unable to secure jobs due to the dominance of foreigners in the clearance business.

Mr. Awingobit emphasized that reserving port clearing work for locals is not discriminatory, citing examples of other countries like Togo and Nigeria, where access to port clearance is restricted to nationals only.

He criticized the situation where Lebanese individuals are involved in clearing goods at Ghanaian ports while Ghanaians face barriers in other countries’ ports. Mr. Awingobit called for stricter enforcement by freight forwarding associations to prevent their members from issuing letters to foreigners for clearing goods at Ghanaian ports.

He stressed the importance of preserving jobs for Ghanaians in the freight forwarding sector and urged freight forwarding associations to take decisive action to address the issue.