Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has acknowledged container congestion at the Tema Port as a major challenge, stressing the government move to improve infrastructure and ease the movement of cargo.
Mr. Nikpe made the remarks during a visit to the Meridian Port Services (MPS) Terminal at the Tema Port, where he engaged management on measures to improve the entry and exit of cargo.
“Currently, we are faced with a challenge, the container congestions in the port, and I believe this worries all of us, including you”, he noted.
According to the Minister, the congestion reflects a gap between the growth in cargo volumes and the expansion of infrastructure supporting port operations.
He said while the development of Terminal 3 has increased the port’s capacity to handle cargo, supporting infrastructure has not kept pace.
“We are putting in Terminal 3, the containers, the cargo is coming, but we didn’t continue to improve other infrastructure that is linking up with the port”, he added.
Mr. Nikpe said government is consequently considering improvements to roads and harbour routes, alongside the development of additional berths to accommodate more vessels.
“That’s why we are talking about the material routes, and then the harbour route expansions. And again, looking at creating more new berths that will be able to receive whatever ships that will be calling on our port”, he said.
He assured port stakeholders that government will accelerate work on the proposed interventions to address the congestion.
“Government is looking at how we can fast-track activities to be able to remove this challenge”, he said.
Mr. Nikpe said the broader objective is to improve the efficiency of the Tema Port and preserve Ghana’s position as a preferred destination for maritime trade.
