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Ghana Shippers Authority gets ultra-modern office

By GNA
Business & Finance Ghana Shippers Authority gets ultra-modern office
AUG 28, 2016 LISTEN

By Kodjo Adams, GNA
Accra, Aug 28, GNA - The Ghana Shippers Authority has inaugurated its state-of-the art office building in Accra, known as the Ghana Shippers House, to serve customers in an effective and efficient manner.

The 16.5 million dollar 12-storey edifice has Knowledge and Information Centre and a repository of requisite materials in shipping and logistics to facilitate trade and transport and improve on the country's economic growth prospects.

The building would house a ship brokerage hall, the first of its kind in West Africa, where ship brokerage and other shipping and logistics transactions would be undertaken to create the environment for a freight market in West Africa.

The edifice has a Maritime Arbitration Centre with all the needed paraphernalia for a modern day centre to complement the processes to make the country a seat of international commercial maritime arbitration.

Mr Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, the Minister of Transport, said the edifice was built by a local construction company, Bedrock Ventures, as part of efforts to give local content opportunity in the country.

He said the building was one of government's numerous projects and that the Tema Port refurbishment was still ongoing to give the shipping industry a greater economic outlook.

Mr Kwetey urged the Authority to put in place the necessary arrangements for its maintenance to ensure the property is managed effectively.

Dr Kofi Mbiah, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Shippers Authority, said the construction of the Ghana Shippers House, originally dubbed: 'Maritime House' was conceived in the late 1980s as a 15-storey building but was shelved and resurrected a couple of times due to lack of funds.

He said the indenture granting the land was dated March 30, 1992, saying the construction of the building began in September 2010 with work expected to complete in 30 months.

Dr Mbiah said the building had conference and committee rooms to serve the needs of shippers creating a one stop-shop facility for those connected with international trade and transport logistics.

'The facility would enable us to serve shippers better as there would be a dedicated hall for receiving and addressing shipper complaints and providing them with information on all matters relating to their business endeavours,' he said.

He pledged the Authority's unflinching support to put in place measures to ensure that the facility was well maintained to continue to ensure improve service delivery.

GNA

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