The Media Coalition for Good Governance (MCGG) has described unverified claims by some joint CSOs on Ghana’s port operations as unsupported by verifiable evidence, warning that such assertions risk diverting attention from genuine efforts to strengthen the country’s health security and trade systems.
Addressing the media at a press briefing, Convener of MCGG on Friday, 12th June, 2026, Kwadwo Baffour Atuahene, warned that such unverified assertions risk diverting attention from genuine efforts to strengthen the country’s health security and trade facilitation systems.
“Let me be equally clear on another important point. Acknowledging that systems can improve is not the same as accepting unsupported allegations,” Mr. Atuahene said.
He added that no port system anywhere in the world is perfect. “Like all advanced ports globally, Ghana’s ports require continuous enhancement across various areas, including customs operations, terminal management, shipping logistics, health surveillance systems, and related regulatory frameworks.”
Mr. Atuahene stated that MCGG fully supports ongoing efforts to improve efficiency, transparency, infrastructure, and operational standards at the ports. However, he stressed that constructive reform must be grounded in facts, data, and professional analysis, not claims lacking factual backing.
The MCGG Convener also acknowledged the critical role of CSOs in democratic accountability and policy reform. “However, that role carries with it a responsibility to ensure that public statements meet a minimum standard of accuracy, fairness, and evidentiary integrity,” he said.
He cautioned that assertions made without data, methodology, or verifiable findings do not advance reform. “They undermine it,” he noted.
According to him, sectors as sensitive as national trade facilitation and public health protection demand that all stakeholders commit to fact-based discourse, constructive engagement, and responsible advocacy.
“That is how institutions are strengthened. That is how public confidence is maintained. And that is how Ghana’s health security architecture can continue to evolve and improve in the national interest,” Mr. Atuahene concluded.
His comments come amid recent concerns raised by some CSOs over port disinfection services and the reliability of the Integrated Customs Management System, ICUMS, which they described as disruptive to trade.
MCGG said it remains committed to transparency and accountability but urged all actors to avoid sensationalism and focus on evidence-driven solutions.
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