Freight forwarders at the country’s ports are warning of rising operational costs as persistent internet and banking system disruptions delay customs duty payments and the clearance of imported goods.
The disruptions, which reportedly began last Friday, have affected freight forwarders’ ability to make and confirm duty payments, creating bottlenecks in port operations.
Some freight forwarders say they have repeatedly sought assistance from Customs officials at the Long Room, but the technical challenges remain unresolved.
They warn that a prolonged disruption could result in significant additional costs for importers, particularly through demurrage charges imposed by shipping lines when cargo remains uncleared beyond the allowed grace period.
The situation is particularly concerning because importers are unable to complete the payments required to clear their goods, while shipping lines may continue to charge demurrage even when the delays are caused by technical challenges beyond the control of importers.
“I mean, whenever you try, it tells you an error: network error, network error. We’ve been trying to the bank as well. The bank is also not going through. We are told to generate an invoice with the tax bill and make payment. And that one too has not gone through.
“So we’ve been stranded since Friday. Importers are ready to have their goods sold and because of that, we are not able to pay the duty to even go and pay for the importers. So the importers are giving us pressure”, one of them told Citi Business News.
Fuel supply concerns
Meanwhile, Citi Business News can confirm that a developing technical issue on the Ghana.gov platform is also affecting some oil marketing companies.
The companies are reportedly unable to make declarations for their fuel liftings and complete the required payments, resulting in delays in the lifting of petroleum products.
Oil marketing companies fear that if the Ghana.gov issue is not resolved promptly, the disruption could eventually affect fuel supplies and lead to shortages at some pumps.
This introduces a wider concern beyond port clearance, as prolonged delays could begin to affect the movement of petroleum products into the domestic market.
The developments have heightened concerns among businesses operating through the port, with freight forwarders calling for urgent technical intervention and clearer communication from the relevant authorities.
The immediate concern is that prolonged disruptions could translate into higher clearance costs, demurrage charges and further congestion at the port.
For players in the petroleum space, the bigger risk is whether delays in fuel lifting could eventually begin to affect availability and supply at filling stations.
The situation therefore puts pressure on the relevant agencies to resolve the technical challenges quickly, before a systems problem at the payment and clearance stage develops into a broader cost and supply disruption for businesses and consumers.
