Ghana is targeting the development of a fully integrated Maritime Single Window within a year to speed up vessel clearance, reduce the cost of doing business and improve maritime trade facilitation.
The system is expected to connect relevant maritime agencies on a common digital platform, eliminating the need for shipping companies to submit the same information repeatedly to different institutions.
The Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), Dr Kamal Deen Ali, announced this at the opening of a five-day regional workshop on the Maritime Single Window in Tema yesterday.
The workshop, organised by the GMA, brought together representatives from nine member states in West and Central Africa, as well as international maritime institutions and development partners, to share experiences and discuss practical approaches to implementing the system.
Dr Ali said Ghana already had digital platforms for processing vessel information, but they needed better coordination to meet the requirements of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
He explained that the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the GMA and other agencies played complementary roles in vessel clearance, making effective coordination essential to establishing an integrated system.
Fragmented procedures, he noted, could delay vessel processing and increase operational costs. An integrated platform would therefore make doing business easier while strengthening regulatory oversight and revenue administration.
Dr Ali said Ghana could build on existing digital platforms, including the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), used by Customs, as well as vessel clearance and monitoring systems operated by other maritime agencies.
He also cited the Trade Facilitation Committee, chaired by the GMA, as an existing mechanism for bringing stakeholders together to address issues relating to maritime operations.
However, he acknowledged that differences in institutional ownership and control, coupled with the fact that some agencies operated under different ministries, could complicate the integration process.
Dr Kamal Deen Ali (seated fourth from left) with Mr Merlyn Gaskin (seated fifth from right) and other participants after the session.
He said the workshop would help identify gaps, develop an implementation roadmap and share lessons to improve maritime trade facilitation across the sub-region.
Dr Ali commended the IMO, the World Bank, South Korean partners and other development partners for supporting efforts to modernise maritime transport.
The Minister of Transport, Mr Joseph Bukari Nikpe, in an address read on his behalf by the Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at the Ministry, Mr Merlyn Gaskin, called for stronger institutional cooperation and adequate financial and technical support to implement the system.
He said the ports of Tema and Takoradi were strategic national assets that connected Ghanaian businesses to international markets, generated government revenue and created employment.
The Maritime Single Window is a digital platform that allows ships and shipping companies to submit information on vessel arrival, stay and departure through a single system.
Its implementation became mandatory under the IMO’s Facilitation Convention on January 1, 2024.
FROM STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG, TEMA
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