The Ports Journalists Network (PJN) has conferred with members of the Joint Association of Port Transport Unions, Ghana (JAPTU Ghana) on possible ways to collaborate to address maritime and port industry issues.

The meeting forms part of introduction procedures of the newly created Ports Journalists Network to stakeholders of the sector of which JAPTU falls under.

Mr Elvis Darko, Team Lead of the PJN, said the group made up of seasoned journalists who have been reporting on the sector over the years found it important to come together to serve the industry better through their reportage and the release of a bi-annual detailed report on the industry.

Mr Darko said this would help project the industry and its issues to the relevant institutions, indicating that the importance of maritime and port in Ghana's economic growth should not be underestimated.

He explained that it was worrying that whenever the economy was being talked about, trade especially maritime and port, which provided the country with chunk of its revenue, was often relegated to the background.

He added that Ghana must consciously ensure that its maritime sector functioned properly to fully derive the benefits of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) which secretariat was located in the country.

The PJN Team Leader observed that as a country surrounded by landlocked countries that depended on Ghana's sea ports for their cargoes, the sector must be well regulated and strengthened to attract more trade and investors.

Mr Ibrahim Musah, Executive Secretary of JAPTU, expressed their willingness to fully collaborate with the journalists to address the numerous challenges facing their members.

Mr Musah mentioned that some of their concerns bordered on the general state of Ghana's road infrastructure, weakness in the enforcement of axle load regulations, breach of Custom's temporary declarations for foreign trucks entering Ghana, and illegal operation of foreign nationals as cargo agents and freight forwarders.

Other issues he raised were inequality in the payment for loading note and other charges by their landlocked partners, challenges with the manner in which some Customs stations enforce transit regulations, among other systemic challenges.

Giving a brief background of JAPTU, he said the association was an umbrella body of all the 13 different transport unions operating within the Tema Port, indicating that nine of the unions were Ghanaian base and three for the landlocked countries; Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

He said the group, which formation was spearheaded by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, and the Ghana Shippers Authority, has over the years been the conduit for formal interactions with duty bearers in the haulage transport sector.