- “Obey Ghana’s Laws or Leave” — FABAG Fires at Shipping Lines
The Food and Beverage Industry Association of Ghana has thrown its weight behind the Ghana Shippers’ Authority in its regulatory dispute with international shipping lines, warning that companies unwilling to comply with Ghana’s laws should leave the market.
The association said it was offering “unequivocal support” to the Ghana Shippers’ Authority as the regulator moves to address what FABAG described as “unjustified and excessive charges” imposed on businesses by shipping lines.
“The shipping lines should leave the Ghanaian market if they can’t obey the institutional laws of the country,” FABAG said in a strongly worded statement.
The intervention follows reports that some shipping lines have filed a suit seeking an injunction against the enforcement of regulatory measures by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority. FABAG described the legal action as “unfortunate, counterproductive, and detrimental to the broader national interest.”
The association said businesses in Ghana, particularly those in the food and beverage sector, have endured years of excessive port and shipping-related charges, which have increased operating costs and contributed to higher consumer prices.
“At a time when industries are struggling with high operational costs, exchange rate instability, inflationary pressures, and unfair trade competition, every effort must be made to reduce the cost burden on legitimate businesses,” the statement said.
FABAG praised the Shippers’ Authority for what it described as its leadership in promoting transparency, fairness and accountability within the shipping and logistics sector. It argued that attempts to block or delay the regulator’s interventions through court actions undermine national efforts to improve the business environment and protect local industries.
“The Ghana Shippers’ Authority must be allowed to exercise its lawful regulatory mandate without intimidation or obstruction,” FABAG said.
The association also demanded greater transparency in port and shipping-related fees, insisting that charges imposed on importers and businesses must be justified and subjected to proper stakeholder consultation.
“Shipping charges and related fees must be transparent, justified, and subjected to proper stakeholder consultation,” FABAG added.
The dispute touches on one of the most persistent complaints among Ghanaian importers: the high cost of clearing goods through the country’s ports and the cumulative impact of shipping, handling, demurrage and related charges on final consumer prices.
For food and beverage importers, such costs are particularly sensitive because many imported goods feed directly into household consumption, hospitality, retail and industrial food processing. Higher logistics costs can therefore quickly affect business margins and consumer prices.
FABAG said the interests of Ghanaian businesses and consumers must take precedence over what it described as “excessive profit-driven practices” that negatively affect the economy.
The association called on government institutions, trade associations, organised labour and civil society groups to rally behind the Ghana Shippers’ Authority in its efforts to restore fairness in the shipping and port sector.
For the GSA, the backing from FABAG strengthens the domestic business case for tighter regulation of shipping charges. For shipping lines, however, the legal challenge suggests deeper disagreement over the scope of the regulator’s powers and the commercial implications of new controls.
The outcome of the dispute could have significant implications for Ghana’s trade facilitation environment, import costs and the broader cost of doing business.
At stake is a larger policy question: whether Ghana can reduce port-related cost pressures without weakening the commercial incentives of shipping lines that remain central to international trade flows.
