The Advocates for Indigenous Freight Forwarders have commended the government, the Minister for Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, and the management of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) for their swift intervention to ease congestion at the Tema Port.
The commendation follows government’s decision to make an additional berth available to accelerate the berthing and discharge of clinker vessels waiting at anchorage.
Convenor of the Advocates for Indigenous Freight Forwarders, Godfred Mawuli Tettey, said the intervention demonstrates what can be achieved when government and industry stakeholders work together to address challenges confronting the country’s maritime sector.
He urged stakeholders to desist from playing blame games over the congestion and instead focus on finding practical solutions to improve the efficiency of the Tema Port.
“Decongesting the port must be done with stakeholders’ collaboration instead of playing blame games and sitting to predict doomsday for the port,” Mr Tettey said.
He particularly commended the Trade Minister and GPHA management for responding to concerns from the cement industry and supporting measures aimed at clearing the clinker backlog.
The intervention follows concerns from cement producers over prolonged delays in berthing clinker vessels and the resulting high demurrage costs, which the industry says are putting pressure on its operating costs and cement prices.
The Ministers of Transport and Trade, Agribusiness and Industry, together with the Ghana Revenue Authority and GPHA management, subsequently engaged stakeholders to find an immediate solution to the situation.
Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe disclosed after the engagement that an additional berth had been made available alongside the existing three to help clear the backlog of clinker vessels.
He described the measure as a short-term intervention while government works towards longer-term solutions to improve port capacity and efficiency.
The Minister also disclosed that dredging works at the bulk jetty had been completed.
The Trade Minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, has meanwhile linked the pressure on the port’s infrastructure to increasing import volumes and the need for further investment to match growing demand.
Mr Tettey said the response by government and GPHA should be encouraged, stressing that sustainable decongestion would require continuous collaboration among government agencies, port authorities, freight forwarders, importers, shipping lines, terminal operators and transporters.
The GPHA has similarly maintained that addressing congestion requires cooperation across the maritime supply chain, rather than attributing the problem to a single stakeholder.
For the Advocates for Indigenous Freight Forwarders, the immediate priority should be to ensure that the latest measures translate into faster vessel turnaround, quicker cargo evacuation and reduced operational costs.
Mr Tettey expressed optimism that the additional berth and other measures would help reduce the backlog of clinker vessels and ease the demurrage burden facing cement producers.
He said this could also help reduce pressure on cement prices and protect consumers from additional costs arising from inefficiencies in the supply chain.
The group has therefore urged all stakeholders to sustain the current engagement and use the latest intervention as a basis for addressing the broader challenges confronting the Tema Port.
Mr Tettey said the focus should be on solutions, collaboration and efficiency, rather than blame, as Ghana seeks to maintain a competitive and reliable maritime gateway.
