Mohammed Samara, the Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Port Services (MPS), has called for emphasis to be placed on the Customs’ risk engine for cargo clearance, to reduce the 100 per cent inspection of freight at Terminal 3. 

Mr Samara said, “The level of inspection is quite high, and we would like to see more emphasis on the risk engine that the Customs has developed to identify risky trade from non-risky trade and give the latter the facility it deserves because this is the norm in any other port”. 

At the company’s Customer Service Week celebrations forum, he said the experience that a customer gets is not just from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) or the MPS, but also from the statutory services. 

“We are really hoping that they can upgrade their kind of approach to business to the speed of trade and the logistics chain in the same manner that the expectations of people are growing,” he added. 

Mr Samara appealed to stakeholders in the cargo clearance chain to refine their processes to allow for increased efficiency. 

He also reminded customers to strictly adhere to the terminal’s truck appointment system to avoid delays and ensure smooth operations. 

He further stated that it was very important to have effective collaboration between stakeholders and customers as well as the provision of constructive feedback to the company to enhance service delivery. 

The MPS CEO noted that in a service environment, there was a need to measure and gauge the service they provided to their customers, noting that the best way to weigh it was through forums where they could listen and understand their concerns and their expectations from the company. 

Some customers of the company during the forum provided feedback on MPS’ operations, such as operational challenges. 

Mr Steen Larsen, the Chief Financial Officer for MPS, gave the assurance that the identified challenges would be worked on speedily.