Growing cargo volumes at the Tema Port is putting intensepressure on port operations, with congestion and delay in cargo clearance. This prompted the executive leadership of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA) to undertake a fact-finding visit to assess the situation and explore measures to keep cargo movingexpeditely.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors of GSA, Hon. Mike Allen Hammah, and the Chief Executive Officer, Prof Ransford Gyampo, undertook the visit to engage managers of the port to identify immediate measures to improve cargo clearance and vessel turnaround.
The visit comes at a time when concern over congestion at the country’s biggest port has been raised by importers, exporters, freight forwarders and other industry players as well as members of the public who use roads within and around the Tema port. In August 2026, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) raised concern over the accumulation of empty containers at the port, cautioning that the situation was taking up valuable space and invariably increasing the cost of doing business.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG) called for urgent expansion of container handling capacity at the Tema Port, arguing that growing cargo volumes require additional infrastructure. The Association has further urged the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to consider converting selected spaces into modern container handling facilities to ease congestion.
Against this background, the GSA leadership met with the Director–General of the GPHA, Major–General Paul Seidu Tanye–Kulono, and the Chief Executive Officer of MPS, Mr. Mohammed Samara as part of the tour of the port.
Mr. Samara described the congestion as manageable as an issue which if not attended to promptly could lead to more serious disruption and inconvenience to users of the port as well as the roads that border the area. He said that the expansion of Terminal 3 and the resultant rising cargo throughput had strengthened Ghana’s position as a formidable shipping and transshipment hub. Regrettably, supporting infrastructure has not expanded at the same pace, to cement this enviable position.
Cargo volumes, which stood at approximately 700,000 TEUs in 2020, increased to 2.7 million TEUs in 2025 and currently stands at about 2.5 million TEUs, ahead of the peak Christmas season. He added that, about one million TEUs of the current volume is linked to transshipment cargo from China and neighbouring countries. The pressure, he said, is being compounded by limitations in supporting infrastructure, including roads and inland container depots. MPS further noted that the proposed eight lane road from the GNPC Junction to the Ashaiman Overhead, to be funded by MPS, was yet to receive the support required for work to commence.
Another major concern identified was the extent of physical inspection of containers. MPS indicated that about 70 percent of containers undergo intrusive inspection, a process which significantly increases clearance times and contributes significantly to congestion.
The ineffectiveness of joint inspections was also identified as a key challenge that requires swift action. The visit revealed that,some state agencies conducted separate examinations instead of carrying out concurrent inspection with other mandated state agencies to facilitate the clearance process. A review of the risk classification system would allow compliant and low risk consignments to receive faster clearance. MPS informed the touring officials that, the global standard for “Red Lane” inspection is about 10%, but Ghana’s is about 74%. They asserted that Post-Audit Clearnce is a system that could be effectively utilized to bring defaulting shippers to book even after cargo has been cleared. They indicated that, strict enforcement of punitive measures, including suspension and penalties for wrong declarations, should be applied to non–compliant GRA-Custom Officers, Clearing Agents, and Freight Forwarders.
The GSA leadership observed that while the immediate measures were necessary, the situation required stronger coordination among the state agencies and operators whose activities determine the speed at which cargo moves through the port.
The proposed interventions include a GRA-Customs led review and re–calibration of the risk classification system, better coordinated concurrent inspections with clearly defined responsibilities for the various 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.
In his comments, Hon. Mike Hammah underscored that the purpose of the visit was to obtain first-hand understanding of the situation and the concerns being raised by industry players and the members of the public in the communities that border the port.
“We are here on a fact-finding mission. We have been worried about the complaints,” he said.
He added: “Ghana is competing with neighbouring ports and, sowe 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.”
Hon. Hammah further stressed that, GSA’s expanded mandate under the new legal framework, Act 1122 (2024) requires anactive interest in the challenges that affect commercial shipping. They are therefore unable to wait until operational problems develop into wider public disruptions before acting.Consequently, the congestion issue goes beyond the confines of the managers of the port.
With cargo volumes continuing to place pressure on existing facilities, the challenge now is to turn the findings from the visit into coordinated action. GSA’s intervention signals that congestion at the Tema port can no longer be treated as an isolated operational inconvenience. It is a matter of competition cost and, ultimately, efficiency in how Ghana trades with the rest of the world.
