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The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) is appealing to the Minister of Transport to order the Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority (GPHA) to reverse its directive on the �Review of Free Period and Storage Charge on Cargo in the Ports� from 7 days to 4 days. According to the GPHA, the directive, which is intended to ease congestion at the ports, took effect from November 1, 2012. �The effect of this decision by GPHA is to raise revenue under the guise of reducing congestion at the port,� the AGI President Nana Owusu Afari said in a press statement. He indicated that �the GPHA has done this notwithstanding the collective decision of the stakeholders� workshop against this issue held on 21st August 2012 at the La-Palm Royal Beach Hotel. The Ghana Shippers� Authority (GSA) has advised against it and AGI supports that stand.� AGI is of the view that the serious port congestion that the country is experiencing of late is as a result of a number of factors including: tedious processing of securing permits\licenses from state institutions; multiplicity of agencies involved in the clearance process, some of which are located in Accra; lack of capacity among some clearing agents leading to errors in documentation, equipment challenges at main and off-dock terminals; excessive physical examination; delays in �sighting and dropping� of containers; long process of going through the scan and GCNet downtimes, among others. Mr. Afari noted that addressing these issues will drastically reduce port congestion. �Increases in fees will further increase the heavy burden in costs that industry and businesses are already shouldering.�