Over one thousand transit trucks have been left stranded at the Tema Harbour transit yard for the past month due the shortage of tracking devices to check the movement of the trucks to their final destination.
Per the country’s port laws, it is mandatory for each truck that loads goods at the port to fix one of the devices on the truck to check diversion of goods by some truck drivers who ply landlocked countries.
At least 500 trucks which are currently loaded inside the port are stuck due to the shortage of the tracking device, thus causing further congestion at the port.
Each driver pays 50 dollar for the device which is expected to be returned upon arrival at their destination, but that, sources at GCNet say, the drivers fail to do thereby causing the shortage.
“For transit drivers who ply from Tema to Ouagadougou, business has virtually come to a standstill for them because they can’t get access to the tracking device they fix on their truck which monitors their movement,” TV’3s Josephine Frempong reported.
The drivers told TV3 the weeks, and sometimes, months of frustration they have to endure before they manage to get some of the device fixed on their trucks. Some of them complained of unfair issuance of the device.
“Most of the problem even didn’t come from the agents, rather from the owners of the goods because last week more than 60 trucks [left] and the device is with them,” Mohammed Ali, one of the transit truck drivers told TV3.
Another driver, Hussein Ibrahim, said “people will be here for months, sometimes weeks and you will not get the device. And someone will come here today and they will give them the device because a big man called and gave the car number out.”
He claimed that drivers who cannot read and write well “will be here for weeks which is unfair”.
“The situation is affecting their business and slowing down trade,” Josephine reported, adding that the ministers for Trade and Industry as well as Transport have assured the drivers of a solution to the challenge. This was when they interacted with the drivers at the port Thursday.
“You see that I’ve been able to have a good conversation with the people that are involved and we have identified some of the key problems. We will quickly move into action and make sure the issue is addressed as quickly as possible,” Transport Minister, Fiifi kwetey, assured them
Trade and Industry Minister, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah said: “Ghana was to be the centre of ECOWAS trade and investment and we cannot succeed in doing so if we are unable to make this terminal efficient for a 150 to 200 vehicles every single day to come in and get out”.
By 3News|3news.com|Ghana
