The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), has warned government against a major setback in clearing activities at the Elubo and Aflao borders following a directive to all clearing agents to use the UNIPASS system.
A letter from the Senior Minister’s office sighted by Citi Business News said selected points of entry have been earmarked for the new single window platform starting March 1, 2020.
The new single window replaces the work currently being carried out by West Blue and GCNet.
Their work will however be phased out eventually when the UNIPASS system is rolled out nationwide.
Other collection points that the UNIPASS system is expected to be implemented starting on Sunday are Bolgatanga, Wa, Tamale and Sunyani.
But the President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders, Eddy Akrong, has Citi Business News the roll-out may not be possible especially at the Elubo and Aflao borders because of the limited time given for the new system to replace that of GCNet.
“In most of these places, they are not using the GCNet systems anyway; that is where you have the head loads and all that. But the most important ones are the Elubo and Aflao borders. In Elubo, not a single training has been done for our members on UNIPASS even though they have been there to inform them as to what is going to come which was in October 2019. So if you are going to migrate everything that they do unto UNIPASS, then that is going to be a chaotic situation,” he emphasised.
Again, Mr. Akrong fears that freight forwarders and other clearing agents who are unable to use the new system could be subjected to demurrages to be paid to shipping lines as a result of delays in clearing.
“At the end of the day, if you delay them for any number of days, the shipping lines will be charging demurrage. This will be additional cost to the importer and that will be transferred to the consuming public,” he added.
Freight forwarders complain of low sensitization
Though the Tema Port is yet to be rolled unto the platform, these freight forwarders are already counting their losses citing the inadequate training and what they term unconvincing arguments to replace freight forwarding with a new platform altogether.
“Here in Tema, we are not seeing anything to show that UNIPASS is going to take place. A process that is expected to start in a week, we are yet to see structures being put in place to implement it,” one freight forwarder, Samuel Okine noted.
Another freight forwarder, David Darke, also said, “As a freight forwarder, if you should ask me to explain the different thing UNIPASS will be doing compared to GCNet and West Blue, I wouldn’t be able to tell.”
GRA Customs defends UNIPASS
The Commissioner of Customs, Colonel Kwadwo Damoah (Rtd) in an earlier interview with Citi Business News allayed any concerns of a possible judgment debt to be pursued by GCNet and West Blue.
“Unless it is an express provision in the contract that while this contract is existing, under no circumstances and in most cases in such types of issues, you then have legal arguments to make. You try as much as possible to be equitable and fair to parties. You do not fetter my ability to disengage from something that is inimical to my interest.”
The Senior Minister’s directive further indicated that system user materials and audio-video training materials would be dispatched to members of the freight forwarders groups at the points where the system will be rolled out from Sunday, March 1, 2020.
For businesses operating at the ports, UNIPASS may interfere with trade facilitation processes as it will add to their cost of operation.
For instance, the trade facilitation fee of 0.75% initially set is higher than that of GCNet and West Blue altogether at 0.68%.
Source: Citibusinessnews.com
