Importers can now get their goods processed and cleared even at 2am, tackling persistent bottlenecks that have long plagued customs operations.
by Blue Africa News
The Port of Tema in Ghana has transitioned into a full round-the-clock operation, following the government’s directive aimed at expediting the clearance of goods.
According to Anthony Kwasi Sarpong, Commissioner-General of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) all essential agencies, including the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and banking partners, are now fully integrated into a 24-hour “single-window system.”
“So, the 24 hour is one of the key flagship programs that President John Mahama has launched, and it’s a program that is targeted at industrialization, job creation, and ultimately domestic tax revenue,” Sarpong said on August 21.
“At GRA, we see ourselves as a key constituent and partner in terms of the success of this program, so at the port, together, working with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and other stakeholders, we have already embraced the 24-hour economy.”
This now means that importers can get their goods processed and cleared even at 2am, tackling persistent bottlenecks that have long plagued customs operations.
The Port of Tema is the largest in Ghana.
It stretches over a 5.5 million square metres of land area and receives an average of just over1500 vessel calls per year, ranging from container vessels, general cargo vessels and tankers, to cruise vessels.
According to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, 85% of Ghana’s trade is done through the ports of Tema and Takoradi, with the port’s efficiency being pegged back by several issues, including slow classification of goods, disputes over values or origins and smuggling.
GPHA rolled out 24-hour operations at bothTema and Takoradi in July.
“While our ship-side operations have always run 24 hours, the directive challenges us to deepen this commitment by extending seamless services to shore-handling and allied processes,” GPHA Director General Brigadier General Paul Seidu Tanye-Kulono said.
Experts have welcomed the 24-four-hour milestone, calling it a turning point for Ghana’s trade and transformation.
“In logistics and trade, time is not just money, its competitiveness. For decades, Ghana has struggled with port congestion, missed export windows, and inefficiencies that slow business and cost jobs. By launching 24/7 port operations, Ghana is not just extending working hours; it aims to re-engineer its trade backbone,” said Gabriel Otiboe, Shipping and Maritime Law expert in a LinkedIn post.
Otiboe warned that to be sustainable the ports would need more than lights and longer hours.
He listed automated customs systems that clear goods in real time, reliable energy and cold storage facilities, security infrastructure to ensure safe night operations, and labor policy reform to support shift workers without exploitation – which suggests there are substantial opportunities for port-related service providers in the country.
“This is where professionals in port management, logistics technology, energy, human resource and public policy must participate,” he said.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News