The best way to make a persuasive argument is to use evidence.

The following points have been compiled from my interaction with key stakeholders of the Tema port.

1. Demurrage is costing one company in Tema $2.8m per month, and there are 18 of such companies in that particular industry. Assuming that each pays $2.0m per month, this will be $36m per month or $432m per annum, more than one IMF trunch under our last ECF, paid to ship owners. Money Ghana loses from port congestion and delays every year. The irony is that instead of taking a strategic action to either expand the Tema Port or, better still, build a new port away from the Tema Port or invite private sector participation to modernise and expand the Takoradi Port, the industry has been asking to be permitted to raise their prices to cover their mounting demurrage costs. And they have done that.
2. The cement industry is currently experiencing unprecedented vessel waiting times. Waiting periods which were approximately 7 days in January 2026 have increased to between 30 and 40+ days, averaging about 40 days in August 2026. The situation has created a serious bottleneck in the supply of clinker, the principal raw material used by local cement manufacturers. At present, only three main berths are reportedly functional for clinker discharge. COCMAG is particularly concerned that cement manufacturers have been unable to access Berths 10 and 11, which were previously used for clinker discharge and associated operational arrangements. Already there are rumours of rent seeking behaviour, more like preferential treatment for some.
3. A professional miner has seven large excavators for contract mining stranded in the last three months.
4. A freight forwarder has been pursuing a container for weeks before the ship that had the container left on August 16th to Togo to discharge cargo on August 16th. The ship is scheduled to return to Tema on September 18th.
5. And there is the domino effect. Our Sahelian partners who rely on the Tema port for their imports. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger are frantically seeking engagement with Ghanaian port stakeholders over containers destined for their markets that have been affected by the congestion
6. My dear Trade and Industry Minister, I recollect our discussion on how you deal with challenges, conflicts and disagreements. You let data and evidence-based reasoning guide your decisions. Arguably, this mess at the Port is your biggest test yet. It is in our collective interest that business thrives so that the government can increase their revenue collection, people get decent jobs, pay their taxes, and we get a vibrant middle class and grow the economy. Please let me know how IMANI can be of help.

By: Franklin Cudjoe, Founding President of IMANI Africa