By Adnan Adams Mohammed
A deep rift has opened between Ghana’s maritime authorities and the local trading community over a controversial plan to reintroduce the Cargo Tracking Note (CTN) system under a new name: the “Smart Port Note” (SPN).
Leading the pushback, the Exim Frozen Foods Association of Ghana (EFFAG) has issued an urgent petition to the Ministry of Transport, demanding an immediate halt to the policy.
The association warns that reviving the tracking system would impose an unjustifiable financial burden on shippers, trigger widespread port delays, and ultimately inflate food prices for everyday Ghanaian consumers.
A Multimillion-Euro Burden on Container Traffic
The dispute centers around renewed advocacy for the tracking system, which has been heavily pushed by a group known as the Concerned Traders Association of Ghana alongside a reported partnership between the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) and the Inter-Ocean Maritime and Logistics Institute (IOMLI).
EFFAG has swiftly questioned this partnership, arguing that the framework appears more focused on generating state revenue than facilitating actual trade. Basing its calculations on Ghana’s 2024 container traffic volumes—which reached roughly 1.7 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs)—the association released a staggering economic impact projection.
“Initial financial models indicate that the implementation of the CTN/SPN system could cost Ghanaian shippers between €187.2 million and €382.8 million annually,” stated Michael Obiri-Adjei, the Executive Secretary of EFFAG.
He clarified that this massive figure is a conservative estimate because it only factors in full-container-load cargo, entirely omitting other major freight categories. “This is a substantial amount of money that will be drained directly from the pockets of local businesses. Any additional clearance fees introduced under this system will inevitably be passed down the supply chain, translating to higher retail prices at the market for everyday frozen foods and proteins,” Obiri-Adjei warned.
Redundancy and Port Bureaucracy
A central argument in the logistics sector’s opposition is that the Smart Port Note does not solve an active operational problem. Importers argue that the automated functions promised by the new tracking note are already completely covered by the multi-million dollar digital infrastructures currently operating at Ghana’s frontiers.
“The CTN/SPN does not address any identifiable gap within Ghana’s existing port ecosystem,” the association noted in its official policy brief. “It simply duplicates functions that are already being effectively performed by the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) and the Ghana Integrated Cargo Clearance System (GICCS).”
Logistics operators emphasize that forcing traders to navigate an extra compliance platform will only reintroduce the human bottlenecks and systemic delays that previous digitization drives worked so hard to eliminate. “Instead of streamlining trade, this proposal adds redundant administrative layers to cargo clearance, increases transactional costs, and risks reversing the massive progress we have made in modernizing our maritime logistics,” Obiri-Adjei added.
Threatening Regional Competitiveness
The timing of the proposed policy has also drawn sharp criticism from international trade experts. With the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) expanding across the continent and the World Trade Organization (WTO) urging states to simplify border protocols, adding localized clearance fees could backfire on Ghana’s regional ambitions.
EFFAG warned that if Tema and Takoradi ports become associated with unpredictable, redundant administrative costs, international shipping lines will redirect transit cargo destined for landlocked Sahelian nations to more cost-effective regional alternatives.
“Additional clearance hurdles will actively weaken Ghana’s competitiveness as a regional trade hub, particularly in comparison with neighboring, highly competitive ports in Togo and Côte d’Ivoire,” the association stated.
A Direct Appeal to the Ministry of Transport
In its formal appeal, the association called directly on Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe to completely reject the reintroduction of the tracking note. Rather than creating new compliance fees to fund data collection for the Ghana Shippers’ Authority, EFFAG argues the GSA should utilize its existing internally generated funds to upgrade its systems.
The association outlined three clear recommendations for the sector’s regulatory future:
● Resist Institutional Pressure: Reject any policy push to bring back the discredited CTN/SPN tracking regime.
● Strengthen Current Infrastructure: Focus state resources on optimizing the capabilities of ICUMS for comprehensive cargo tracking and revenue assurance.
● Eliminate Illegitimate Fees: Aggressively target and dismantle existing unlawful, informal port charges that continuously drive up the cost of doing business.
Reiterating its stance, the trading body concluded by emphasizing that while it remains fully supportive of port modernization, it will firmly oppose any policy that acts as a hidden tax on trade. “We are ready to collaborate on real reforms that improve the ease of doing business, but the Smart Port Note is a redundant, costly, and counterproductive step backward,” the association maintained.
