African Nations Pay 70% More On Transportation Of Imports

The deputy minister of transport, Republic of Ghana, Joy Bawa Mogtari, has said developing nations in Africa pay between 40 and 70 per cent more on the average for the international transportation of imports than the developed economies in Europe and North America.

Mogtari, who spoke on “Maritime Media as Vessel for Africa’s Economic Transformation” at the just concluded African Maritime Journalists Conference, AMJOC, said that to achieve sustainable growth in Africa, the countries must connect their economies.

She said: “Our port systems and the whole business of shipping require customs administrations to relate seamlessly in order to bring down transportation cost, enhance standardized procedures and make the economy very competitive. This goal demands effective coordination and communication.”

Represented at the event by a chief director in the Ministry of Transport, Mr Twumasi-Ankra Selby, she said that the maritime subsector offers the best path to the connectivity of Africa’s economies, but the benefits have to be effectively communicated.

She said: “Maritime transport remains the backbone of international trade. Around 80 per cent of global trade by volume and over 70 per cent of global trade by value are carried out by sea and are handled by ports worldwide. The importance of the maritime subsector to the national economy is appreciated in terms of facilitation of trade within and across national borders, revenue generation, employment, empowerment opportunities, and promotion of tourism.”