Stop behaving like an opposition party – Kwaku Kwarteng tells GIFF over UNIPASS

Ghanaian Importers and Clearing Agents are up in arms with government over its decision to abrogate the contracts of the two existing Single Window operators; Ghana Community Network Service Limited (GCNet) and West Blue Consulting, replacing it with a new deal with Universal Pass (UNI-PASS).

The Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo Maafo, in a letter dated 26th February 2020, directed freight forwarders, clearing agents and other stakeholders in the country, to use the UNIPASS system to clear their goods from Sunday, March 1, 2020.

President of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), Mr. Edward Akrong said the current operators are doing well and that since the new one has not been tested, its efficiency cannot be guaranteed.

“We don’t have any qualms but we have an existing one and if we don’t know how the new one works, it will be troublesome. I don’t really see anything different; so far what we’ve seen is worrying. There has not been any piloting to see how the UNIPASS system works. There was a planned piloting but it never happened. We really need to take a second look at this; otherwise, there will be chaos…i believe that the Senior Minister was misinformed,” he said in an interview on Peace FM morning show ‘Kokrokoo’

But Deputy Minister of Finance, Hon Kwaku Agyemang Kwarteng, speaking on the same platform in reaction, condemned criticisms of the UNIPASS system.

“if you start criticizing it; moving from one radio station to the other, you are behaving like an opposition party” he said.

He asked Mr Edward Akrong to be mindful of his utterances and stop campaigning against the new system, since it has come to stay.

“Nobody should think that the various criticisms will make government change its mind; it won’t happen,” he added.

Source: peacefmonline.com