'Allow auction of goods at ports'

Pge 47, Jan 28/2008

Story: Charles Benoni Okine

THE Ghana Auctioneers Association has called on the government to allow its members to resume the auction of goods at the ports, particularly Tema, where a large number of uncleared containers have created congestion.
The association said denying the entire members of their duty on the grounds that some of them were engaged in fraudulent practices was not the best and asked that those involved should be dealt with individually and not at the expense of the entire association.
A spokesman for the association, Nana Kofi Agyekum, who is also the owner of Global View Mart Limited, told the Daily Graphic that the association had been up to its responsibility by raising money for the state through the auction of goods at the ports and resolved to continue with its duties in a transparent manner.
Other members of the association who were present at the interview were Mr Thomas T. Atinga of T.T. Mart; Mr Muniru Ben Kasim, Yakamata Mart; Mr Tutu Baffuor, Baffuor Mart; and Mr Atsu Nulako of Mystic Mart.
Five members of a group, which used all machinations to deliberately stop the general public from participating in the auction of overstayed containers at the Tema Port, were arrested last year.
The syndicate, which has also formed an association known as Ghana Customs Auction Bidders/Buyers Association (GCABBA), with the motto, 'Bid Wisely', was said to have denied the state several billions of cedis in revenue.
Those arrested were P.C. Mensah, an executive member of the association; Yaw Marfo, Kofi Owusu, Felix Boadi and A.A. Kodie.
According to the Executive Director of the Revenue Agencies Governing Board (RAGB), Mr Harry Owusu, the syndicate was arrested by a special government task force set up to oversee the sale of overstayed containers at the Tema Port.
The task force — set up three months ago and comprises members from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning; Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS); the RAGB; Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA); and the Ministry of National Security — is also mandated to decongest the port.
He said the attention of the association had been drawn to a number of lapses by some unscrupulous persons whose activities were undermining its image and noted that members were on the alert to expose such miscreants.
Nana Agyekum said the auctioneers were ready to work under the strict supervision of the task force, adding that “we are open to any form of monitoring of our activities to ensure maximum transparency”.
He said CEPS recently organised an intensive training programme for the association to further equip auctioneers with the requisite skills and competence to be able to deliver better.
“We welcomed the training programme and we were full of praise for CEPS. Therefore, we find it strange that at this time when our services are needed more at the port, we have been denied the opportunity,” he added.
The Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, at the tail end of last year undertook a tour of the Tema Port and noticed how containers had choked the ports.
The containers, which were under seal, and most of which belonged to companies such as the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), had rusted such that the contents were exposed.
Nana Agyekum said the association was ready to help decongest the ports if members were given the go-ahead to resume auction at the Tema Port.
He said the association was not in any form conniving with what he termed the ‘so called Bidders association’ “because we do not know them”.
He again challenged the authorities to come clean with any evidence of the allegation that the auctioneers were in league with the bidders association to deny the state its needed revenue.
Nana Agyekum said the association had put in a request to auction the goods the Finance Minister saw at the ports to decongest the area.
Mr Atinga said they had made several attempts to meet the RAGB boss to deliberate on the matter but this had proved futile because Mr Owusu would not avail himself of the meeting.