The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana has proposed the establishment of dedicated holding depots along the country’s railway network to help address congestion at the ports and reduce the cost of doing business.
The proposal is aimed at providing alternative storage facilities for empty shipping containers, which the Association says have become a major challenge for importers, shipping lines and truck operators.
Executive Secretary of the Association, Samson Asaki Awingobit, explained that the limited space available at empty container terminals often delays the return of containers after imported goods have been discharged.
He believes that converting suitable locations along the railway network into holding depots would provide more space for storing empty containers until shipping lines are ready to receive them.
Mr Awingobit made the proposal during a courtesy visit by the Association’s leadership to the Ghana Railway Development Authority.
He said the arrangement would improve container management, ease pressure on port facilities and make it easier for shipping lines to retrieve empty containers when needed.
“That is the way to go. You can always send the empty containers there and bring them when the vessel is ready,” he said.
Delays in returning containers increase import costs
Mr Awingobit also raised concerns about the additional costs importers incur when empty containers cannot be returned on time.
He explained that truck operators sometimes spend several days waiting at shipping lines’ empty container terminals because the facilities do not have enough space to receive the containers.
These delays result in additional truck retention charges, placing a further financial burden on importers and increasing the overall cost of transporting goods.
According to him, such expenses eventually affect consumers, as businesses are forced to factor the additional costs into the prices of goods.
“Those monies to MPS and the shipping lines leave the shores of Ghana,” he said, expressing concern that the charges continue to increase the cost of doing business in the country.
He believes the proposed holding depots could help reduce these delays by providing alternative locations for receiving and storing empty containers.
Association calls for greater use of rail transport
Beyond the management of empty containers, the Association is also pushing for stronger collaboration among the railway authority, port operators, shipping lines and other industry players to improve cargo transportation.
It is advocating increased use of rail freight to transport goods from the ports to inland destinations, arguing that this would reduce the country’s dependence on trucks and ease pressure on the road network.
The Association believes a more efficient rail freight system could improve the movement of goods, reduce transportation challenges and strengthen Ghana’s logistics sector.
Mr Awingobit assured the Ghana Railway Development Authority of the Association’s willingness to support initiatives aimed at improving freight transportation.
He, however, emphasised that the Association would expect the relevant institutions to deliver on their commitments and remain accountable for the progress of proposed interventions.
