‘Paperless issues being addressed’

Mathias Kwame Ntow, a member of the Parliamentary select-committee on Trade and Industry, has said the Ministry of Trade and Industry and his committee briefed stakeholders on the paperless port system before its implementation.

According to him, officials of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authourity (GPHA), the Customs Division, West Blue and other stakeholders who were briefed endorsed the new system. To that end, he said he could not understand the issues being raised by some clearing agents against the system.

His comments come on the heels of concerns raised by some stakeholders against the new system.

For instance, Kwame Gyasi, Greater Accra Regional Organiser for the Ghana National Union of Traders Association (GUTA), has said the system was forced on the neck of importers and exporters at a time there hasn’t been adequate education.

Mr Gyasi told Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM on Monday, September 18 that : We were rushed through the programme because the government wanted to implement it at all cost. That has created a lot of problems for the clearing agents and other importers in the country.”
Similarly, a clearing agent, Prince Kofi Boamah, has said the paperless port system is a worthy programme however, there has not been adequate public education on the system.

According to him, most of the industry players have not been properly educated on the system. To that end, these agents and importers have been left stranded.

“They should let the education on the system come more that is what we need at the moment. The new system is good but the technicalities in it are too confusing,” he told show host Forson.

But reacting to these concerns also in an interview with Forson, Mr Mathias Ntow said: “One of the difficult things for humans to accept is change. Normally because they have followed a particular pattern for a long time, it becomes difficult for them to change.

“We have realised that most of the government revenue is diverted into private pockets and so the government decided to block this leakage.

“The government met with our committee and we, together with the government, went round visiting the agencies, we went to GPHA, we went to Customs, we went to WEST Blues and Airport and they assured that they were willing to accept the new system because it will be helpful.”

He added: “Definitely, with the implementation of the new system, some problems will come up but we will identify all those problems and deal with them. This system will be helpful.”

Source: Ghana/AccraFM.com