For its varied stakeholder engagements focused on addressing the needs of shippers across the country, the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) was adjudged the “Best Company in Stakeholder Engagement” at the 6th edition of the Sustainability and Social Investment (SSI) Awards.
The event which took place on Friday 18th November 2022 at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra also saw the GSA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Ms. Benonita Bismarck being named the “Female Personality of the Year”.
During the year under review, the GSA embarked on a nationwide sensitization on the Bank of Ghana’s Letter of Commitment (LOC) to promote compliance by exporters, as well as nationwide workshops on the Procedures and Opportunities under the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). Also, seminars on the avoidance of demurrage and rent payments at the ports, education of transit truck drivers on dangerous goods carriage and Exporters’ Forum to build the capacity of shippers were held.
The GSA organized regular engagements with air cargo carriers and other shipping service providers to resolve challenges in cargo handling at the ports as well.
On her part, the CEO was also recognized for her ardent role in leading the GSA in the introduction of major interventions to address the concerns of shippers to enhance trade facilitation. Some of the interventions are the resolution with shipping lines to begin the counting days of demurrage from the day the consignment is made available to the shipper rather than the day the vessel docked at the port. Her zeal in supporting education by procuring furniture to support teaching and learning activities OF the Adjikpo Dokuyo MA Primary School in Somanya was also highly commended by the organizers.
The SSI Awards aims to identify and publicly recognize the exemplary success of Companies/Foundations operating in Ghana to improve the quality of life of the communities they operate in through social investment projects.