Shippers Authority calls for professionalism to promote transit trade

Senior Police Officers in the Upper East Region have been urged to upgrade their level of professionalism to boost transit trade activities on the nation’s trade routes.

This came up during a sensitization seminar organised by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) in Bolgatanga on transit trade through Ghana’s major transit corridors.

The Authority said it had observed that the nation could be recording higher transit trade figures if police officers deal with transit truck drivers more professionally.

It is estimated that transit trade contributes over 134 million cedis to Ghana’s economy.

Opening the seminar, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, Ms. Benonita Bismarck, in a speech read on her behalf, underscored the importance of the seminars on transit trade for Police Officers with the objective of promoting transit trade through Ghana’s corridors.

She lauded the Ghana Police Service for its role in securing the transit corridors of Ghana. She also commended the commitment of the Ghana Police Administration, headed by the IGP, Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, for the continuous collaboration between the GSA and the Police Administration to open up the nation’s transit corridors to transit shippers of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

She however noted that there were some challenges faced by transit shippers, transporters and livestock traders along the major transit corridors of Ghana due to the multiple police checkpoints, delays, and associated harassments of truck drivers.

She called on the Police Officers deployed along the corridor to ensure professionalism in their interactions with truck drivers to avoid delays and harassment which adds to the cost of shipments.

She noted that the Police have an important role in facilitating transit trade for the benefit of the economy and for socio-economic development.