President John Dramani Mahama has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to eliminating inefficiencies at Ghana’s ports as a critical step toward delivering on his administration’s flagship 24-Hour Economy policy.
Addressing the leadership of the Freight Forwarders’ Association of Ghana during a courtesy call, President Mahama stressed that efficient port operations are central to unlocking the country’s economic potential, improving regional trade competitiveness, and facilitating seamless cargo movement.
“We know that our flagship policy, the 24-Hour Economy, is dependent on fast, efficient operations at the ports of entry—airports, land borders, and especially the seaports. The port operated by Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority was built by Nkrumah—or perhaps even during the colonial period—and had served Ghana for so many years.
“We tried to expand it, but we reached a point where nothing more could be done. That is why, during my first term, we partnered with MPS to build a new port at Tema.”
HE President John Dramani Mahama
The new Tema Port, he said, represented a significant improvement, boasting modern equipment and faster operations. According to him, expansion efforts at the Takoradi Port also received attention, highlighting that it currently has excess capacity.
He further mentioned infrastructure investments in road networks along the Western Corridor to support the port’s utilization.
All these, he emphasized, are part of the “Big Push” infrastructure initiative, a bold plan to invest $2 billion annually over five years—totaling $10 billion—to transform Ghana’s infrastructure landscape.
President Mahama expressed optimism that these improvements would enhance the seamless flow of goods in and out of Ghana, positioning the country as the preferred transit hub for its landlocked neighbors.
Tax Rationalization
On taxation, President Mahama assured the freight forwarding community of ongoing efforts to streamline Ghana’s complex VAT system, which he described as confusing and inconsistent. “Some people are rated at 3%, others at 5%, 7%, and even 21%. We think VAT should be transparent, easy to calculate, and easy to pay,” he explained.
The President confirmed that a study is currently underway to harmonize VAT structures, noting that the Finance Minister would address the issue in the upcoming mid-year budget review.
He also noted that recent stabilization—and even appreciation—of the Cedi had made compliance with duties and taxes less burdensome.
However, he revealed with concern that despite a surge in cargo volumes at Tema, revenue collection had not matched expectations.
“Unfortunately, the minister told us in cabinet yesterday that there’s been a shortfall in collections, and mainly, Tema is the problem. There’s been a significant increase in volumes, which should have offset the shortfall, but instead, we are seeing a reduction”.
HE President John Dramani Mahama
He directed the Finance Minister to engage stakeholders to investigate and resolve leakages in revenue collection.
24-Hour Operation at Port
The President praised ongoing efforts to operationalize 24-hour services at the ports and commended the progress made by port and customs officials.
Nonetheless, he raised concerns about the frequent breakdown of the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), which hinders the clearance process.
“We get frequent complaints that for the whole day, the system is down, and yet, despite the system failure, they are waiting to charge you demurrage. There must be a way of stopping the clock when ICUMS is down so people are not unfairly penalized”.
HE President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama called for a comprehensive review of the system to assess its strengths and weaknesses with a view toward upgrading it for more efficient operations.
Unregulated Charges
Another major concern raised during the interaction was the conduct of shipping lines and the imposition of administrative charges. President Mahama questioned the rationale behind charging the same administrative fee per container, regardless of volume.
“Why charge for each container when the processing is done once on a single document? I asked around, and they don’t do that in Lome or any other port—only in Ghana”.
HE President John Dramani Mahama
He emphasized that under Ghanaian law, no fees or levies can be imposed without parliamentary ratification. “You cannot charge any fee or levy within the territories of Ghana without parliamentary approval,” he said, adding that he had instructed the Minister of Transport and the Attorney General to ensure all such charges are properly brought before Parliament.
President Mahama warned that if these bottlenecks and inefficiencies persist, Ghana risks losing business to neighboring countries such as Togo, where importers enjoy lower costs and still make a profit trucking goods from Lome to Accra. He urged for urgent reforms to retain Ghana’s competitiveness as a preferred destination for imports and exports.
Expanding Infrastructure
On infrastructure, the President acknowledged the poor state of roads around the Tema Port, particularly the stretch leading to the Tema Interchange.
“There is a need to improve the road so that there’s easy passage of goods in and out of the ports,” he said. His administration is working with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to improve the port infrastructure and road networks to enhance overall efficiency.
Touching on export promotion, President Mahama recognized the omission of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders from the Accelerated Export Development Programme and promised to rectify the oversight.
He emphasized that the freight forwarding community plays a crucial role in export logistics and must be considered a key stakeholder.
“We had a meeting with stakeholders, including the Ghana Revenue Authority, on how to improve export processing, and they came up with a very comprehensive report. I hope the agencies involved will implement the recommendations to make exports smoother”.
HE President John Dramani Mahama
In concluding his remarks, President Mahama reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to stabilizing the economy.
He noted that key indicators—including inflation and the primary balance—are improving and that the upcoming mid-year budget review on July 24 would provide the public with further details. “The economy is responding quite well. Once growth resumes, it benefits every sector,” he asserted.
President Mahama thanked the leadership of the Freight Forwarders’ Association for engaging with the government and pledged to maintain open channels of communication.
“Our doors are open. We’ll continue to engage. Maybe we can meet again at the end of the year to review the progress we’ve made,” he concluded.
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