The Paga border has come under renewed attention as stakeholders seek a more coordinated response to intermittent cargo congestion, with concerns mounting over the safety of people, cargo and property as trucks, including those carrying hazardous goods, park along the shoulders of roads within the Paga township.
Members of the Transit Shipper Committee at Paga made the call for stronger inter agency collaboration at a meeting held on Wednesday, 26th August 2026 at the Paga border. The meeting brought together key trade facilitation and security agencies to discuss critical bottlenecks affecting trade in the area, strengthen collaboration and review interventions to improve border operations.
Stakeholders proposed the expansion of the existing truck park constructed and managed by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), or the clearing of additional space behind the facility to create a holding area for cargo awaiting processing by the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA).
The discussions also brought to the fore differences in the pace of cargo clearance on both sides of the border. Stakeholders noted that the inability of counterpart agencies on the Burkina Faso side to match the speed of clearance from the Ghanaian side had contributed to the intermittent congestion. The situation, they said, had been further compounded by the installation of a scanner on the Burkina Faso side, adding another layer to the cargo clearance process.
The Northern Zonal Manager of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Mr. Frederick Atogiyire, commended the various agencies for their effort in managing traffic flow at the border.
He also commended the Kasena-Nankana West District Assembly for their intervention through the formation of a Border Traffic Management Task Force to temporarily manage the situation whenever congestion occurs. He called for the task force to be properly structured to enable it to achieve its intended purpose.
Mr. Atogiyire stressed the need for deeper collaboration among border stakeholders to address the congestion challenge and called on driver unions to support the ongoing bi-weekly sensitisation programmes organised by the GSA Shipper Complaints and Support Unit at the border to improve driver behaviour and attitude.
The meeting also featured presentations on the mandates and operations of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority, and the Food and Drugs Authority at the border.
The discussions underscored the need for a coordinated approach to managing cargo movement at Paga, particularly as congestion carries implications beyond traffic flow. For stakeholders, keeping cargo moving safely and efficiently will require closer cooperation among agencies on both sides of the border, as well as practical measures to provide adequate holding space when clearance processes slow down.
