George Kporye, a fruit exporter, has allayed fears that the renewal of Sea-Freight Pineapple Exporters of Ghana’s (SPEG) shore handling licence will lead to a judgement debt.
Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Kpornye said the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) was acting in bad faith in the matter.
This is because the company that would lose out in the event of SPEG’s license being renewed is part-owned by the GPHA, according to the exporters.
The exporters’ Fruit and Export Terminal contract with the GPHA under the Horticultural Exports Industry Initiative was said to have been cancelled in favour of a company called Fruit and Export Terminal Ghana Limited.
But it is feared that renewing SPEG’s licence and cancelling that of Fruit and Export Terminal Ghana Limited could lead to a $50 million judgement debt.
SPEG had been managing the exports since Shed 9 at the Tema Port was upgraded into a modern fruit export terminal
Mr. Kpornye argued that these developments were a product of bad faith from the GPHA.
“It cannot be judgement debt. You are working for somebody, go behind the person, form a rival company, take over the business, and claim you have exclusivity. Our contract is still valid.”
He insisted that in the formation of Fruit and Export Terminal Ghana Limited, the GPHA “knew very clearly what they were doing was wrong.”
Mr. Kpornye further stressed the importance of the Horticultural Exports Industry Initiative.
“It is a government policy to promote exports and all these arrangements were done for a specific industry. So you don’t go behind and make a claim over the same business.”
Under the initiative, the exporters had contracted Supermaritime Company Limited, a forwarding and clearing company, for the shore handling on their behalf.
“We think that government policy must be respected. There is no country worth its sort who’s promoting exports which has an arrangement which is happening here [in Ghana].”
The Supermaritime Company Limited then formed Fruit and Export Terminal Ghana Limited with GPHA, according to the exporters.
Mr. Kpornye spoke after members of SPEG demanded an immediate renewal of their licenses to enable them export their produce to the international market.
At an emergency meeting, the members resolved that if the GPHA failed to renew their stevedoring and shore handling licenses by March 31, they will divert their cargo to the port of Lome in Togo for onward shipment to the international market.
They have also complained that the interference by the GPHA has led to additional cost to their operations to the tune of $245,796 and $283,809 in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
The President of the Association, Solomon Benjamin also demanded a refund of the cost incurred.
