Port privatisation starts next month
Tema (Greater Accra) 29 August 2001 - Ghana faces expulsion from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) if local producers fail to pay accumulated dues of 434,000 Dollars.
The Ghana Tuna Association (GTA), which expressed the fear, said such an expulsion could also mean the European Union (EU) would tactically ban Ghana, which produces 100,000 tonnes of tuna annually from exporting Tuna to member countries.
Joseph Kudjordji, President of the 11-member GTA, said the Association has, therefore, called on the Minister responsible for Fisheries to use "ministerial power'' to compel defaulting tuna fishing companies and canneries to pay the dues.
At a press conference at Tema, he denied press reports that illegal activities of the GTA was responsible for the government's indebtedness of 300,000 dollars to ICCAT and a loss of over 120 million dollars annually in taxes.
Ghana's indebtedness was a big issue at ICCAT last conference and it was a disgrace to the country, which has one of its prominent citizens Eric Kwei as Vice-President of the Commission, he said.
Members of GTA, who sell their products to the Pioneer Food Cannery (PFC) and Ghana Agro-Food Company (GAFCO) have their companies contributions deducted at source from their export earnings and kept in trust for the GTA.
Those who do not sell to PFC and GAFCO were expected to remit their contributions to a designated bank account within one month after receipt of their export earnings. However, some local producers refuse to allow these deductions.
Out of the 100,000 tonnes of tuna caught annually, the PFC cans 40,000 tonnes, other canneries 10,000 tonnes and the remaining 50,000 tonnes exported in its raw form.
Kudjordji also explained that it was impossible for Ghana to lose 120 million dollars annually in tax from the tuna sector looking at the current price of 650 dollars per tonne paid by the PFC.
"By simple arithmetic, Ghana would have earned 32.5 million US Dollars from the export of raw tuna annually", he said.
The GTA emphatically denied that its members indulged in illegal transhipments and sell their catches to vessels from Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Las Palmas on high seas, saying strict documentation process required by customs and the Bank of Ghana makes this impossible.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Tema (Greater Accra) 29 August 2001 - The First phase of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) privatisation programme under which cargo handling and stevedoring services would go wholly to the private sector would start next month.
Ben Owusu-Mensah, Director-General of the GPHA, said at Tema on Monday that a number of local and foreign companies interested in the privatisation have already applied to the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MOTC).
Briefing 20 newly appointed ambassadors, who are on a nation-wide tour for insight into various sectors of the Ghanaian economy, to enable them to market Ghana abroad, Owusu-Mensah said the second phase of the programme, under which the port would be fully privatised would start in July next year to be completed by December, the same year.
The GPHA would then become mainly a landlord with more regulatory functions and companies given licence to operate would pay royalties to the authority.
The GPHA may also enter into joint ventures with some of the companies and its cargo handling equipment handed over to them. Workers should not expect any labour losses since companies licensed to work would be expected to absorb them, he said.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com