Growing cargo volumes at the Tema Port are putting intense pressure on port operations, with congestion and delays in cargo clearance raising concerns over the cost and efficiency of Ghana’s international trade.
The Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) has initiated measures to address the situation after its Board Chairman, Mike Allen Hammah, and Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Ransford Gyampo, undertook a fact-finding visit to the port to assess the challenges and identify measures to improve cargo clearance and vessel turnaround.
The congestion is also raising concerns among importers, exporters and freight forwarders over rising business costs and delays in moving cargo through the country’s largest port.
The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) in August raised concerns over the accumulation of empty containers at the port, warning that the situation was taking up valuable space and increasing the cost of doing business.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) has also called for an urgent expansion of container-handling capacity at the Tema Port, including the conversion of selected spaces into modern container-handling facilities.
As part of the visit, the GSA leadership engaged the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Major-General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono, and the Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Port Services (MPS), Mr. Mohammed Samara.
Mr. Samara described the congestion as manageable but cautioned that failure to address the situation promptly could result in more serious disruption to port users and traffic on roads around the facility.
He attributed the pressure partly to the expansion of Terminal 3, which has contributed to a significant increase in cargo throughput, while supporting infrastructure has not expanded at the same pace.
Cargo volumes have risen from approximately 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2020 to 2.7 million TEUs in 2025. Current volumes stand at about 2.5 million TEUs, ahead of the peak Christmas season.
MPS said about one million TEUs of the current volume is linked to transshipment cargo from China and neighbouring countries, further increasing pressure on the port’s supporting infrastructure.
The company identified inadequate road infrastructure and limited inland container depot capacity among the constraints affecting cargo movement.
MPS also noted that a proposed eight-lane road from the GNPC Junction to the Ashaiman Overhead, which is expected to be funded by the company, is yet to receive the necessary support for construction to commence.
The infrastructure constraints have become particularly important for Ghana’s competitiveness, as delays in cargo clearance and movement can increase logistics costs for businesses and weaken the country’s position relative to competing ports in the sub-region.
GSA Board Chairman Mike Hammah said the Authority undertook the visit to obtain a first-hand understanding of the concerns raised by industry players and communities around the port.
“Ghana is competing with neighbouring ports, so we need to improve our efficiency. GSA has a responsibility to make Ghana competitive. We can only be an efficient shipping and logistics hub with improved infrastructure in and around the port,” he said.
The congestion is also being compounded by the level of physical inspection of containers. MPS indicated that about 70 percent of containers undergo intrusive inspection, a process it said significantly increases clearance times and contributes to congestion.
The company further identified weaknesses in joint inspections, noting that some state agencies conduct separate examinations instead of carrying out concurrent inspections with other mandated agencies.
MPS said a review of the risk classification system could enable compliant and low-risk consignments to receive faster clearance while maintaining appropriate scrutiny for higher-risk cargo.
It informed the GSA delegation that the global standard for Red Lane inspection is about 10 percent, compared with approximately 74 percent in Ghana.
MPS also proposed greater use of post-audit clearance to allow cargo to move more quickly while enabling authorities to take action against defaulting shippers after clearance.
It called for stricter enforcement of penalties, including suspension and sanctions for wrong declarations involving non-compliant Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs officers, clearing agents and freight forwarders.
The GSA leadership subsequently identified stronger coordination among state agencies and port operators as critical to improving cargo movement.
Proposed interventions include a GRA Customs-led review and recalibration of the risk classification system, better coordinated concurrent inspections with clearly defined responsibilities for participating agencies, and due process in dealing with wrong declarations.
A multi-stakeholder action plan is also expected to accelerate cargo release, safeguard government revenue and reduce congestion.
Mr. Hammah said the Authority’s expanded mandate under the Ghana Shippers’ Authority Act, 2024 (Act 1122), requires it to take an active interest in challenges affecting commercial shipping rather than wait for operational problems to develop into wider public disruptions.
The congestion at Tema Port therefore presents both an infrastructure and policy challenge, with the effectiveness of cargo clearance, investment in supporting infrastructure and coordination among regulatory agencies increasingly important to the cost and competitiveness of Ghana’s trade.
