Ghana is at risk of losing a significant stream of port revenues if urgent steps are not taken to fix the deteriorating Pokuase-Nsawam road, economists have warned.
According to Dr. Paul Appiah-Konadu, a development economist, the worsening condition of the critical highway, especially the poor state of the Pokuase-Nsawam stretch, is compelling Burkina Faso, a key landlocked trade partner, to divert imports through Côte d’Ivoire’s Abidjan port rather than Ghana’s Tema port.
He explains that following the coming to office of the current head of state of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore, there has been a significant increase in the importation of machinery due to the development agenda of the country.
This increased importation by Burkina Faso is benefiting Ghana through port charges since they pass through Ghana’s ports and are transported by road through the Accra-Kumasi highway.
However, the poor road network, which is putting drivers in distress and frustration, the economist says, is forcing the Burkinabe imports to Abidjan ports.
He explained that this shift, though gradual, poses a massive threat to Ghana’s customs and port revenue base.
“We should not forget that in the Burkinabes’ recent import of machinery and all has increased so much, with the coming into office of Ibrahima Traore and all these machines, they are transporting them through this road,” he narrated to The High Street Journal.
“Burkinabè imports of machinery and equipment have increased substantially in recent years, particularly under the administration of Ibrahima Traoré. But because of the terrible state of the Pokuase-Nsawam stretch, many of these imports are now being routed through Abidjan,” he told The High Street Journal.
He continued that “What is happening is that now they are beginning to divert some of their imports through the ports in Abidjan, so we may start losing a lot of the revenues we generate from imports by Burkina Faso through the Tema ports, and that is huge. I don’t have the figures, but that is very significant in terms of losses from the charges we impose on their imports.”
The Pokuase-Nsawam road is a lifeline in Ghana’s trade corridor with the Sahel, linking Tema Port to Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger. However, years of neglect, congestion, and worsening potholes have rendered the route nearly impassable, causing delays, increased transport costs, and heightened frustration among traders.
From the insights shared by the economists, Ghana risks ceding its strategic advantage as a gateway to West Africa’s landlocked economies because of poor roads.
Stakeholders are calling on the government to expedite the construction of the Pokuase-Nsawam stretch as a national priority, noting that the cost of inaction far outweighs the investment needed to fix the road.
