The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has admitted that container congestion at the Tema Port has become a major challenge, assuring stakeholders that the government is taking steps to upgrade supporting infrastructure and improve cargo movement.

Mr Nikpe made the remarks during a visit to the Meridian Port Services (MPS) Terminal at the Tema Port, where he held discussions with management on measures to improve the smooth 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.

The Minister attributed the congestion partly to a mismatch between the increasing volume of cargo handled at the port and the pace at which supporting infrastructure has been expanded.

He explained that although the development of Terminal 3 had significantly increased the port’s capacity to handle cargo, other critical infrastructure connecting the terminal to the wider transport network had not expanded at the same 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 the government was therefore considering improvements to roads and harbour routes, as well as the construction of additional berths to enable the port 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 operators and other stakeholders that the government would expedite work on the proposed interventions as part of efforts to ease 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 was to enhance the efficiency of the Tema Port, facilitate the movement of goods and strengthen Ghana’s position as a preferred destination for maritime trade.