Ghana’s main port transport union has called for deeper stakeholder consultation before axle load regulations are enforced, after suspending a planned strike following assurances from the Ghana Shippers Authority on haulage registration requirements.
The Joint Association of Port Transport Unions (JAPTU) Ghana raised the demand at a media forum organised by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), where Executive Secretary Ibrahim Musa explained the circumstances surrounding the union’s decision to stand down its planned industrial action.
At the centre of the earlier tension was a provision under the new Ghana Shippers Authority Act 1120, which transport operators initially understood to require all haulage businesses, including individual truck owners, to register and pay fees before operating. Subsequent engagements clarified that the requirement would apply only to incorporated haulage companies. “The clarification addressed one of our key concerns and helped ease tensions among members,” Musa said.
Despite the resolution of that specific issue, JAPTU maintains serious reservations about the planned enforcement of axle load regulations being driven by the Ministry of Roads and Highways. Musa acknowledged the rationale behind measures designed to reduce road damage caused by overloaded vehicles, but warned that effective implementation requires genuine partnership with the operators most directly affected.
He pushed back against what he described as a top-down regulatory approach, arguing that transport workers carry practical knowledge that policymakers need if compliance targets are to be met without generating further conflict within the sector. The union’s position is that industry players should be active participants in designing solutions rather than recipients of decisions handed down without adequate engagement.
JAPTU currently brings together 16 transport unions and associations operating across the sub-region, with membership spanning Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Musa disclosed that transport organisations from Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire have also expressed interest in affiliating, a development that reflects the growing regional weight of cross-border haulage under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) harmonised transport framework.
Given that dimension, Musa argued that axle load policies affecting cargo movement across the ECOWAS corridor demand multilateral consultation rather than unilateral national enforcement, warning that decisions taken without accounting for cross-border operational realities could disrupt trade flows and livelihoods that extend well beyond Ghana’s borders.
The union expressed readiness to continue dialogue and said it remains committed to reforms that protect road infrastructure and improve safety standards, provided those reforms are built on collaboration and consensus rather than confrontation.
