Clearing goods through Ghana’s ports takes significantly longer than in some peer African economies, with exports averaging nine days and imports stretching to 23 days, according to the World Bank.
The Bretton Woods institution said the delays are constraining trade and slowing private-sector growth.
Speaking at a high-level B-READY working session in Accra on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Business Ready Unit, Subika Farazi, identified operational inefficiencies, particularly at the borders, as a major drag on Ghana’s competitiveness.
“For example, in Ghana, it takes on average nine to 23 days for export and import clearance, which on average takes around five to eight days in Cameroon,” Farazi noted.
The port delays form part of broader findings from the World Bank’s B-READY assessment, which indicates that while Ghana has relatively strong business regulations, weaknesses emerge in how efficiently those rules are implemented.
According to Farazi, Ghana performs best under the regulatory pillar but falls behind several peer economies when assessed on operational efficiency.
“In terms of the operational efficiency pillar, Ghana’s relative performance is not as strong, with several peer economies, including Togo, Senegal, Cameroon and Cape Verde, recording stronger scores,” she said.
World Bank data shows Ghana outperforming most regional peers in regulation and public services, ranking highest in the regulatory pillar and second only to Togo in public service delivery.
However, efficiency gaps, particularly at the borders, continue to weigh heavily on businesses involved in import and export activities.
At the sectoral level, Ghana scores strongly in financial services, labour and business entry, but struggles in areas closely linked to trade performance, including market competition.
“Overall, Ghana’s business readiness ranges from 72% in financial services to 34% in market competition,” Farazi explained, adding that although labour indicators remain among the strongest, bottlenecks in trade-related processes persist.
The working session brought together senior government officials, private-sector leaders and World Bank teams to examine constraints affecting food processing, light manufacturing and trade facilitation, key components of the government’s 24H⁺ programme.
The World Bank says tackling clearance delays, improving border management and strengthening operational efficiency could deliver some of the quickest gains for Ghana’s business environment as the country seeks to expand trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and boost private-sector competitiveness.
