Tema Police Foil Demo By Local Importers

The police in Tema on Thursday foiled a planned demonstration by a group calling itself Concerned Agents and Importers Association to demand better services at the port. Fully armed officers of the Tema Regional Police command numbering about 50 stormed the Tema Community 2 where the protestors were to assemble and subsequently stop the protest march. The police accused the leadership of staging the protest without permit. The police say although leaders of the group have had several meetings with them, they have not reached an agreed date for the demonstration. They subsequently arrested two leaders of the group, Nana Kofi Poku and Ekow Arko but were later granted bail. The concerned importers say their complaints about the frustration, congestion, delay and discrimination against Ghanaian agents and importers have not been dealt with properly. The group also claimed port authorities did not consult them before announcing a 2% increase in tariff. Several meeting with Ghana Ports and Habours Authority, Ghana Shippers� Authority, Customs Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) and the Police have yielded no results towards addressing concerns of the importers, Nana Kofi Poku alleged.