A new mobile application that would enable shippers to hire the services of hauliers, remotely at the ports of Ghana, will be launched by the close of June 2022.
This revelation was made on the Eye on Port program by the Executive Secretary of the Joint Association of Port Transport Unions (JAPTU) Ghana, Ibrahim Musah.
He explained that this initiative is primarily intended to bolster modernization efforts intended to make doing business at the ports of the country easier and efficient.
Mr. Musah also indicated that, “we believe the deployment of this app will be a game changer because it would enable shippers to engage us directly. The operations of the agent have become a factor that we can do away with because sometimes they add unnecessary cost to shippers. These are things that when we do not deal with, could undermine the competitive efforts of the port.”
The Executive Secretary of JAPTU Ghana also said his outfit is in the process of deploying a system that would allow adequate data collection and analysis that would enable the group to make better informed business decisions as well as contribute more meaningfully to stakeholder discussions for the port sector.
Taking his turn, the Vice Chairman of JAPTU Ghana, Alhaji Shamsu Babayaro, also added that in order to ensure propriety in the activities of hauliers in the port, his outfit conducts regular checks for members.
He said, “we ensure that if you don’t qualify in our system, we do not allow you to even get the Transportation Loading Advice (TLA) to go to the port to load.”
Alhaji Shamsu said with the close cooperation JAPTU Ghana shares with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, axel load and road worthy defaulters are being discouraged from operating within the port environment.
He nonetheless appealed for the road sector to expedite road projects across the country, as bad roads continue to impair the durability of trucks during the use of the country’s transit road corridors.
The JAPTU executives lauded the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and its technical partner, Auto Consult Ventures Limited (ACVL) for the introduction of the Truck and Trailer Identification and Inspection policy at the Port.
This initiative is intended to enhance the security and safety of trucks carting cargoes from Ghana’s ports to consumers.
The Joint Association of Port Transport Unions, (JAPTU) Ghana is the umbrella body for all transport unions operating from the ports of Ghana.
It comprises of twelve transport associations, nine of which are locally based, and three, from the Sahelian countries of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
