The Importers and Exporters Association of Ghana has sounded the alarm over escalating congestion at the nation’s ports, where hundreds of containers sit uncleared for extended periods.
The group warns that this crisis is disrupting supply chains, driving up operational costs, and straining businesses and consumers alike.
Association data attributes the backlog partly to the cedi’s recent appreciation, prompting some importers to hold off on clearing goods in hopes of even better exchange rates. This delay, combined with port operational hurdles, has drastically slowed cargo processing and piled up containers.
Recurring system outages at the Meridian Port Services (MPS) terminal are a key culprit, the Association says. These glitches have hampered cargo handling at Tema Port, forcing containers to shift to external terminals.
In an interview with Citi Business News, Executive Secretary Samson Asaki Awingobit warned that ongoing delays risk spiking demurrage fees, inflating consumer prices, and eroding competitiveness for firms reliant on imported materials and products.
“We continue to pray nothing derails this stability and that the government sustains it to boost the economy,” he said. “There’s a traffic jam at the ports, plus one or two MPS breakdowns. I know their system when containers arrive at MPS, some must move to outside terminals.”
Awingobit highlighted how shuttling containers to off-dock sites, alongside prolonged clearance times, is hitting importers hard especially small and medium enterprises with extra costs.
The Association urges port authorities and stakeholders to boost system reliability, improve terminal coordination, and roll out incentives for faster clearances to relieve congestion and protect trade flows.
Story by: Mercy Addai Turkson #ahotoronline.com