Former Defence Minister Dominic Nitiwul has raised serious concerns about security lapses at the Tema Port following revelations that over 1,300 containers belonging to the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have gone missing.
An investigative report uncovered that ECG had 2,491 uncleared containers—filled with vital electrical cables and equipment—stored at the port. However, an independent audit later found only 1,134 containers, leaving a staggering 1,357 containers unaccounted for.
The scandal took a disturbing turn when authorities, during a tour of aluminium smelting facilities in Shai-Osudoku on Friday, discovered stolen ECG cables—components of the missing containers—being melted down and processed into aluminium rods, allegedly for export.
Reacting to the revelations in Parliament, Nitiwul expressed shock at the scale of the disappearance, questioning the effectiveness of port security.
“Containers do not have legs, they do not have wings to fly. Nobody can carry a 40-foot container. How is it possible that all the security people there—it doesn’t matter what time—and then these containers will move?” Nitiwul demanded.
“First, they’re 10 containers. The next day, 20 containers. The next day, 50 containers, to over a thousand something containers. How? How is it possible?”
The former Defence Minister warned that the incident points to deeper systemic failures, raising fears about the potential smuggling of other dangerous goods.
“How is that possible? How is that possible? That says something. Maybe something is happening at the port. Maybe something bigger is happening at the port,” he continued. “If containers can get missing, then you can imagine other things that are there. Explosives, drugs, different different things.” Watch the video here
The missing containers scandal has intensified scrutiny on Ghana’s port security, with calls for a thorough investigation into how such a massive theft could occur undetected. Authorities have yet to announce any arrests, but pressure is mounting for accountability.