High Court Affirms Ghana Shippers’ Authority’s Power to Enforce Refund Directive

The High Court in Accra has affirmed the powers of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) to enforce its regulatory directives and has ordered a shipping service provider to refund excess charges to a shipper.

The court, in a ruling delivered on July 8, 2026, in the case titled “Ghana Shippers’ Authority v Maxwell Edzeame (Proprietor of MSG Freight & Cargo Services), Suit No. GJ/0593/2026,” directed MSG Freight & Cargo Services, in line with Section 47 of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122), to comply with the Authority’s refund order.

This was contained in a press release issued by the Ghana Shippers’ Authority on Monday, 29th September, 2026.

According to the Authority, the matter arose from the service provider’s failure to apply the applicable commercial exchange rate of its commercial banker, which resulted in excess storage charges being paid by the shipper.

The GSA, acting within its mandate, directed MSG, which is a consolidator, to refund the excess amount to the affected shipper.

The company, however, failed to comply with the directive, leading to the matter being brought before the Court for enforcement.

The Authority said the decision reinforces its regulatory mandate under Act 1122 (2024) to protect the interests of shippers and other stakeholders in the shipping and logistics sector and underscores the obligation of compliance with lawful regulatory directives issued by the Authority.

“The GSA hereby reminds Service Providers in the shipping and logistics industry of the need to comply with applicable regulatory directives governing charges and commercial transactions with shippers. Where a Service Provider is found to have imposed charges contrary to applicable statutory directives, GSA will take appropriate regulatory measures in accordance with law,” the statement said.

The Authority further stated that as the regulator of the commercial shipping sector, it remains committed to promoting transparency, predictability, fairness and consistency in shipping and logistics transactions and will, under the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122), continue to enforce compliance with the regulatory framework to protect the legitimate interests of all players in the sector.

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