The government will soon begin expanding roads and rail links to the country’s ports to ease congestion and speed up cargo movement, Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has announced, as container and cargo volumes continue to rise.
Speaking at the commemoration of World Maritime Day 2026 on Thursday, September 24, the Minister said the expansion has become necessary because volumes at Ghana’s ports have doubled.
“The volume in terms of container and other cargo in our ports has doubled, meaning that we have to also work in a way that will increase the facilities or expand the facilities in the ports,” Nikpe said.
The Minister said government is working to connect rail services from the port to the Unity Terminal, about seven kilometres away, to facilitate the faster movement of container cargo.
“If that comes on board, we will be working towards decongesting our port and facilitating the free or the quick movement of container cargo from our port,” he said.
As part of the decongestion programme, he said government will also expand and rehabilitate port access roads and arterial routes, alongside improvements to rail services.
The announcement comes amid growing pressure on Ghana’s port infrastructure. Tema Port, the country’s largest seaport, handles the bulk of container traffic and serves as a key gateway for landlocked Sahelian countries including Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. In recent years, rising trade volumes, clearing delays and limited road and rail connections have combined to create congestion that affects shippers, importers and exporters.
World Maritime Day 2026 is being marked under the theme “From Policy to Practice: Powering Maritime Excellence,” which focuses on translating international maritime regulations into national action. The theme, spanning 2026 and 2027, highlights enforcement, training and infrastructure as key pillars of maritime development.
Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority, Dr Kamal Deen Ali, said the Authority is strengthening maritime surveillance to keep pace with increasing activity in Ghana’s waters. He said efforts are underway to improve maritime domain awareness, with enhanced surveillance capabilities expected to be fully integrated by the end of the year.
“Ghanaians should be assured that we take our stewardship very seriously and we perform it in the quiet. So, you may not see us every day speaking, but 24 hours we are working and providing adequate deliveries for this country,” Dr Ali said.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority in charge of Technical Services, Sylvia Asana Dauda Owu, said stronger collaboration among stakeholders is needed to address congestion and delays at the ports.
“We know the concerns, port congestion, cargo clearance delays, and its attendant costs of moving goods through our ports have, at various times, tested the patience of shippers and other industry players,” she said.
She noted that the challenges affect inventory, cash flow and the competitiveness of Ghana’s ports, and called for closer cooperation between government agencies, port authorities, shipping lines and shippers.
The government’s planned expansion of port roads and rail links is expected to form part of a broader effort to modernise Ghana’s transport and logistics network. Officials have previously spoken of the need to link rail, road, inland waterways and maritime transport to reduce pressure on roads and speed up the movement of goods to northern Ghana and landlocked neighbours.
The Minister did not disclose the cost or specific start date for the projects.
For shippers and industry players, the key question will be implementation. While the Minister’s announcement has been welcomed as a necessary step, stakeholders say sustained investment, effective coordination and timely delivery will determine whether the expansion truly decongests the ports and lowers the cost of doing business.
