Ghana’s importers and exporters are pressing Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson to convene an emergency stakeholder meeting over persistent shipping delays, container transfer disruptions, and mounting operational costs at Tema Port, warning that the crisis threatens the country’s trade efficiency and regional competitiveness.
The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana (IEAG), in a statement dated October 19, 2026, and signed by Executive Secretary Samson Asaki Awingobit, said delays in shipping invoices, payment processing, and container releases are driving up demurrage, rent, and storage costs for businesses that have already fulfilled their payment and documentation obligations . The Association wants the proposed meeting to bring together the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), shipping lines, terminal operators, and clearing agents to identify the causes of the delays, determine responsibility, and set firm deadlines for resolution.
“The matter therefore requires urgent ministerial attention and coordinated intervention rather than routine stakeholder engagements that do not produce measurable results,” the statement said .
Background: Congestion Rooted in Infrastructure Mismatch
The latest intervention follows months of mounting concern over conditions at Tema, Ghana’s largest seaport. Cargo volumes have surged from approximately 700,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2020 to 2.7 million TEUs in 2025, with current throughput at about 2.5 million TEUs even before the peak Christmas season, according to Meridian Port Services (MPS), the operator of Terminal 3 . Roughly one million TEUs of that volume is transshipment cargo from China and neighbouring countries.
MPS Chief Executive Mohammed Samara has attributed much of the pressure to the expansion of Terminal 3, which has driven throughput up faster than supporting infrastructure—particularly roads and inland container depots—has grown . A proposed eight-lane road from the GNPC Junction to the Ashaiman Overhead, which MPS has offered to fund, has yet to receive the support needed to begin construction .
A further bottleneck lies in customs inspections. MPS has said about 70 percent of containers undergo intrusive physical inspection, and Ghana’s “Red Lane” inspection rate runs at roughly 74 percent, compared with a global standard of about 10 percent . Ineffective joint inspections, with some state agencies conducting separate examinations rather than concurrent checks, have compounded clearance times.
Shipping data from October showed Tema’s seven-day average vessel waiting time at around 5.59 days, with congestion driven by high yard utilisation, trucking shortages, and strong import demand . The congestion has drawn attention beyond Ghana’s borders: in September, Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger formed a joint committee to engage Ghanaian port stakeholders over about 100 containers carrying essential school supplies stranded at Tema, with the delay affecting Burkina Faso’s education system .
Terminal Disruption and Assault Allegation
IEAG has separately raised concerns about reported disruptions at MPS Terminal 3, where more than 120 trucks scheduled to transfer containers were delayed, potentially prolonging turnaround times and creating further bottlenecks across the logistics chain . The Association acknowledged the allegations have not been independently established and called for a transparent investigation.
The Association also expressed concern over reports of a confrontation at the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) office at Tema Port, during which an alleged assault was reported . IEAG condemned violence and intimidation and called for an impartial investigation. MSC, in a statement dated October 16, said it regretted an incident at its Tema office that “put its staff at risk” and pledged to cover, “where applicable,” additional charges customers incurred due to delays from a technology upgrade . The company did not specify which charges qualify or how customers should claim them.
Calls for Enforceable Service Standards
Beyond the immediate disruptions, IEAG is demanding a review and stricter enforcement of Service Level Agreements governing shipping-line services, terminal operations, invoicing, and cargo transfers. The Association wants measurable performance standards, clear turnaround times, complaint escalation procedures, and remedies for service failures .
“Accountability in the maritime sector must be reciprocal,” the statement said, arguing that shipping lines and terminal operators should be held to their service obligations just as shippers are expected to meet container-return deadlines.
The GSA has previously undertaken fact-finding visits to the port and acknowledged the need for coordinated action. In September, GSA Chief Executive Prof Ransford Gyampo assured Sahelian counterparts that the government was working to prevent the situation from “degenerating into demurrage” and other avoidable costs . Stakeholders have also proposed a GRA-Customs-led review of the risk classification system and better coordination of concurrent inspections among state agencies .
IEAG insists the proposed emergency meeting must produce clear decisions, assigned responsibilities, implementation deadlines, and a monitoring mechanism. “Ghana’s port users cannot continue to absorb the financial consequences of persistent service delays while the underlying operational failures remain unresolved,” the Association said .
