The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has called on the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) to urgently resolve delays in the issuance of import codes and permits that are causing importers to incur huge port costs.
According to the Association, some of its members have been unable to clear their goods because FDA approval has not been completed, leaving consignments stranded at the ports.
In a press statement signed by its Executive Secretary, Samson Asaki Awingobit, the IEAG said while it fully supports the FDA’s mandate to protect public health, delays beyond the normal timeline have serious financial consequences for importers.
“A port clearance process is interconnected. A delay at one point can hold up several subsequent processes,” the statement noted.
The Association explained that when FDA codes are not issued on time, clearing agents cannot complete declarations, which delays duty payment, customs release, and evacuation of containers.
This prolonged stay of cargo, it said, attracts storage charges, shipping-line demurrage, container detention, extra handling fees, financing costs, and additional trucking costs.
The IEAG warned that importers cannot continue to absorb these costs without passing them on to consumers, at a time when businesses and consumers are already burdened by high cost of goods.
It has, therefore, demanded that the FDA immediately identify and fix the cause of the delays, expedite clearance for goods already accruing charges, and communicate clearly to stakeholders on timelines for resolution.
The Association also called for consideration of relief for importers who have incurred avoidable costs due to regulatory or system failures. “Ghana’s ports are not merely revenue collection points.
They are critical gateways for trade,” the IEAG stressed, urging all agencies in the port clearance chain to improve coordination and eliminate bottlenecks.
