By Kevin Lopez

HAVING A companylike KG Logisticstake care of yourmotor car or van toGhana is the perfect

way to ensure your vehicle getsthere in tip-top shape and ontime. While they can take careof your car during the journey, itis still best that you undertakesome preparation to guaranteethe whole process runssmoothly.

With the chance of somethinggoing wrong in transit likely,there are certain things you cando to minimise the likelihood ofdamage taking place. The firststep is to take stock of the cur-rent condition of your vehicle.

By giving it a thorough cleanyou will be able to uncover anydents or scratches. Recordingany damage and photograph-ing the remaining of the car willgive you proof of its conditionbefore it was shipped.

When having your carshipped to Tema, it will beinspected a number of times toensure your vehicle isn’t carry-ing anything it shouldn’t. To min-imise the amount of time yourcar will be inspected, make sureyou remove all your personalitems. These include CD’s,GPS’s, radio faceplates andportable TV’s.

Having removed all extraitems, it probably goes without

saying that you shouldn’t loadyour vehicle up with personaleffects as a way to transportyour luggage when car shippingto Tema. It is also important toremove any property from theboot of your car as items leftinside your vehicle will not beinsured during transit.

During loading and unload-ing, your car will be driven mini-mally. However, it is still impor-tant that you make sure it is ingood mechanical condition.This may include topping up flu-

ids, making sure tire pressure isright and that your battery isfully charge. When it comes tofuel levels, it is best not to haveyour fuel tank too full. Havingyour tank at quarter way is thesafest option.

Before your car is shipped,you should have a clear under-standing of your insurance pol-icy and obtain a copy for yourown records. This way, if theworst does occur, you haveyour policy in writing and knowexactly what you are covered

for. If your car is extremely valu-able, you may want to thinkabout supplemental insurancethat will give you further peaceof mind. It is good to keep inmind though, that if you areshipping with KG Logistics, theyoffer full and comprehensiveinsurance for the journey.

Once your vehicle has arrivedin Ghana, the final step is tocarry out a full inspection tomake sure your car arrives inthe same condition that youdropped it off in. Once you are

happy that everything is in work-ing order and how you left it,you are free to sign off on deliv-ery and use your vehicle over-seas.

While the chances of some-thing going wrong in transit areslim, it is still best to carry outcomprehensive preparations toensure everything runssmoothly and both you and thetransporter are happy.

• KG Logistics is an inde-pendent freight forwardingcompany based in the UK.

SEPTEMBER 18 - 24, 2014 TTHHEE VVOOIICCEE � 27

SShhiippppiinngg to

AFRICANS LIVING abroad pay two times more than people fromother continents to send money home, costing them $1.8 billionannually.

The money is enough to put 14 million children into schools orto provide safe water for 21 million people.

A new report from the Overseas Development Institute (ODI)shows that on average, Africans in the diaspora pay 12 per centin fees for transfers of $200, almost double the global average.

“This remittance super tax is diverting resources that familiesneed to invest in education, health and a better future. Africansliving abroad make huge sacrifices to support their families, yetface charges which are indefensible in an age of mobile bankingand Internet transfers,” ODI director Kevin Watkins said.

The report says there are no signs of charges falling, despitepledges by the G8 and the G20 to reduce the cost of remittancesto five per cent by this year.

“Diaspora organisations would like to engage governmentsand regulators to find creative solutions to unlock the true poten-tial of remittances to the region,” said Siddo Deva of ComicRelief which funded the study.

The report found that the top 10 remittance transfer chargeswere in sub-Saharan African countries with Ghanaians sendingmoney, for example, to Nigeria paying as much as 39 per cent infees.

It attributed the high charges to lack of competition with twomoney transfer operators – Western Union and MoneyGram –controlling almost two-thirds of the remittance market in Africa.The companies operate under ‘exclusivity arrangements’ withagents, which restricts market entry.

Financial regulations also contribute to the high charges bygiving banks an effective monopoly on remittance payments.

ODI researchers estimate that operations involving WesternUnion and MoneyGram, account for around a third – $586 million– of the loss associated with high remittance charges each year.

Western Union charges 9.4 per cent on average on transfersto the region, while MoneyGram charges 10.4 per cent.Remittances to Africa reached $32 billion or two per cent of thedomestic economy last year and are projected to grow by more

Africans pay thehighest remittancefees, says ODI report

Your guide to prepare for car shipping to GhanaAAffrriiccaa

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READY TO GO: A motor vehicle is ready for shipment overseas.

28 � TTHHEE VVOOIICCEE SEPTEMBER 18 - 24, 2014

than eight per cent annually to 2016. This income is less volatile than foreign direct investments

and other private capital flows and directly reaches house-holds, cushioning the impact of external economic shocks.

In Somalia, eight in 10 new businesses are funded byremittances, while in Ghana transfers have halved the likeli-hood of households falling into poverty and improvedschool attendance. In Ethiopia, remittances have helpedfamilies cope with food shortages without having to sell pro-ductive assets.

The report calls for investigation into whether market con-centration artificially raises prices as well as improved trans-parency in the provision of information on foreign currencyconversion.

SShhiippppiinngg toAAffrriiccaa

RESEARCH HAS shown that movinghouse is one of the most stressfulevents that can occur during a person’slife. Add to the mix, an international relo-cation to a new and foreign country

often causes stress levels to rise even further.Relocating overseas need not be an unpleas-

ant experience though. Choosing the rightInternational Removals company can take awayboth the headache and the heartache out of yourmove.

The earlier you get your removal company on-board the more smoothly your move is likely tobe. Moving abroad often presents unexpectedproblems and by using an experienced companythat specialises in International Removals early oncan help avoid potential issues from cropping uplater on down the line. They also know the rulesregarding what can and can’t be taken into thecountry you are moving to and will be able to help

you decide what items to take and which ones toleave behind.

When it comes to moving, timing is incrediblyimportant and your chosen provider will be look-ing to do their utmost to ensure that your goodsarrive when you want them to. Your selectedlogistics company will discuss with you therange of transportation services offered andthen suggest the best and most economicalmethods of shipment. The majority of freight for-warding companies offer sea freight, air freightand road freight forwarding services.

If you are moving to another continent, thereis a strong likelihood that you will be using aContainer Shipping service. The cost of using acontainer is based on the distance the containerhas to travel and the amount of space that youuse. Making the best use of the available spaceand ensuring that your possessions are well

packaged is essential, as not only does a poorlypacked container waste money, but thechances of your goods arriving in less than per-fect condition increases.

If you are choosing to use a whole containerit will probably be loaded at your house andthen taken straight to the port. Smaller ship-ments however will likely go to a warehouse andbe loaded as a “part load”.

The majority of people moving overseas tendto use sea freight to transport their goods as itoften works out to be more cost effective.However, air freight is an option if there aresome goods that you really can’t live without.You will, however, need to bear in mind that costis calculated on both weight and volume andthat possessions even when sent by air cantake a number of days to reach your new desti-nation.

NIGERIA HAS been ranked far ahead of itspeers on the continent based on the strengthof the country’s macroeconomic indicators,according to new financial indicators.

A Lagos-based research and financial advi-sory firm, Renaissance Capital (RenCap),revealed this in its latest report on sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) titled: ‘Who’s Hot andWho’s Not’.

Other countries assessed in the report wereGhana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zimbabweand Zambia.

Nigeria, in April this year, rebased its grossdomestic product (GDP), which saw esti-

mates hitting $509.9 billion. Following therebasing exercise, Nigeria emerged asAfrica’s biggest economy and the 26th largestin the world.

The RenCap report highlighted the coun-try’s improving external position (9 to 10months of import cover) and a small fiscaldeficit (one to two per cent of GDP), as majorfactors driving its macroeconomic growth.

Moreover, it pointed out that a recovery inthe oil sector had led to stronger growth inNigeria. Accordingly, RenCap revised itsgrowth forecast for the country to 6.3 per centand 6.5 per cent in 2014 and 2015 respec-

tively, as against its prior forecast of 5.7 percent and 5.6 per cent.

It explained: “Nigeria’s macro (economicfundamentals) stand well ahead of its peers.Yes, elections are almost upon us (February2015), but we do not think that should detractNigeria’s otherwise solid macro credentials –especially given our view that the electoralprocess and outcome will be relatively stable.

“Post-elections, we expect interest rate cutsas soon as the second half of 2015, which wethink will allow year-on-year credit growth topick up from current high single-digits to themid-teens.

How to take the stress out of moving overseas

ON THE MOVE: Shipping goods overseas will getbusy in the months leading up to Christmas.

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Nigerian economy ranked highest in Africa