The government has told shipping companies and their agents to begin collecting the approved GH¢720 Container Administrative Charge before it will resume negotiations with them over the implementation of the levy.
Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe said the government’s position follows a High Court ruling that dismissed an application by affected companies seeking to block implementation of the charge at Ghana’s ports .
Shipping Firms Seek Out-of-Court Settlement
According to the Minister, representatives of the companies subsequently approached the government to restart out-of-court discussions but were told that compliance with the approved charge was a condition for further engagement .
“As I’m talking to you, their lawyers have reached out to us that they will want us to continue the conversation out of court, and we are telling them that before we will agree, they will have to be collecting or charging the GH¢720 as we communicated to them before we can sit together with them,” Mr Nikpe said in an interview with Bernard Avle on Channel One TV’s The Point of View on Wednesday, September 9 .
The GH¢720 charge is the regulatory ceiling for the Container Administrative Charge, also referred to as the local handling charge, on import and export containers measured in Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs) .
Background: From $165 to GH¢720
The dispute traces back to a Ministry of Transport and Agencies retreat held approximately four months ago, where government officials identified the high cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports as a critical concern .
“It was at this meeting we agreed that the cost of doing business at the port was too high and we needed to do something as a ministry and government. So we charged the Shippers Authority to go into all the charges in the port and see which of them we were going to cut or work on to bring some relief to our people,” Mr Nikpe explained .
The Container Administrative Charge was initially set at $165 per container, but the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) reviewed port charges and recommended a $115 reduction, bringing it to $50, equivalent to about GH¢550 at the time .
Stakeholder Pushback and Interim Measures
Freight forwarders and importers subsequently petitioned the government against the proposed implementation, citing concerns over inadequate education, sensitisation and stakeholder engagement. The government held about seven meetings with stakeholders to address the concerns .
Some stakeholders later raised concerns that the $50 charge could lead to job losses among Ghanaian workers .
“These were the Ghanaian workers who petitioned us for us to do something, if not that they were going to be laid off, and we said okay, we wanted to listen to them and as interim, for a period of one month, we were going to listen to all their issues so they should pay $65, which translated to GH¢720,” Mr Nikpe said .
The GSA had initially announced a cap of GH¢550 per container unit, but the implementation was later postponed to July 1, 2026, with an interim cap of GH¢720 approved by the Transport Minister .
Legal Battle and Court Ruling
Before consultations could be concluded, the affected shipping companies and agents went to court seeking an injunction to stop implementation of the charge .
On July 10, 2026, the High Court dismissed an application filed by the Ship Owners and Agents Association of Ghana (SOAAG) and several shipping agents seeking to restrain the implementation of the GSA’s Regulatory Directive issued on May 11, 2026 .
The Court held that the directive had already taken effect upon issuance and therefore declined to grant the injunction. The Court further noted that granting the application would impede the statutory regulatory mandate of the GSA .
As a result, the directive remains valid, operational, and in full force, requiring all shipping lines and their agents to comply with the approved GH¢720 Container Administrative Charge per TEU .
Mr Nikpe said the companies subsequently sought a stay of execution following the court’s dismissal of their injunction application .
Industry Calls for Enforcement
Meanwhile, industry players have called for action against some shipping lines and their agents allegedly charging above the approved GH¢720 container administrative charge.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has accused some shipping operators of openly disregarding both the Authority’s directive and the High Court ruling, citing invoices allegedly issued by Pacific International Lines (PIL) and MSC Ghana Limited showing charges significantly above the approved cap .
According to IEAG, one importer was charged GH¢4,000 as a Container Release Order fee for a single 40-foot container by PIL, while MSC Ghana Limited allegedly charged GH¢3,870.46 as an Administrative Import Fee for a single 40HC container .
The Freight Forwarders Association of Ghana (FFAG) has similarly called on the GSA to strictly enforce the directive and take stronger measures against any company that refuses to comply, warning that failure to enforce could undermine confidence in Ghana’s regulatory and judicial systems .
The GSA has urged importers, exporters, freight forwarders, and the general shipping public to promptly report any instances of non-compliance through its established complaint and reporting channels for swift regulatory action .
Government Remains Open to Dialogue
Mr Nikpe said the government remains open to further discussions with the affected companies, but only after the GH¢720 charge is being collected as directed .
The government’s firm stance underscores its commitment to reducing the cost of doing business at Ghana’s ports while ensuring compliance with regulatory directives and court rulings.
