Ghana Weighs an Extra Tema Berth as Cement Costs Rise
GHANA · PORTS
Key Facts
- —What the fight is about Cement producers say congestion at Tema Port is driving up costs. The ports authority disputes that it is the cause.
- —The new fee on a bag of cement A GH¢12 a bag demurrage surcharge (about US$1.05), agreed 28 August 2026 and running to 31 December.
- —What producers say is happening Waiting times rose from about seven days in January 2026 to 30 to 40 days by August, at US$800,000 to US$1 million a vessel.
- —The dispute over dock space Producers say berths 10 and 11 are inaccessible, leaving three for clinker. The authority says berths 3, 12, 13 and 14 are common-user berths.
- —Who met about it Two ministers, the ports authority, the revenue authority and manufacturers met at the port on 11 September.
- —Whether the fee is legal A consumer group has called the uniform surcharge a possible cartel arrangement.
Every producer arrived at the same twelve cedis. That is either a shared cost or a shared decision, and Ghana has no working competition authority to tell the difference.
Ghana’s government is considering an additional berth at Tema Port after cement producers imposed a surcharge on every bag. They blame congestion, which the ports authority says is not the cause, in a dispute that is already reaching household building costs.
The Surcharge
The Chamber of Cement Manufacturers Ghana agreed a temporary demurrage surcharge of GH¢12 a bag, about US$1.05, on 28 August 2026. Demurrage is the fee shipping lines charge for delays in loading or unloading cargo. The surcharge comprises GH¢10 before tax, about US$0.87, plus GH¢2 in taxes and levies, about US$0.17.
The chamber says the surcharge runs to 31 December 2026, subject to monthly monitoring and review in January 2027.
What the Producers Say
The chamber says vessel waiting times at Tema rose from about seven days in January 2026 to between 30 and 40 days by August. It puts demurrage costs at US$45 million to US$50 million across the first eight months of the year, or US$800,000 to US$1 million for an individual vessel.
It says berths 10 and 11 remain inaccessible to cement importers, leaving three main berths for clinker discharge. Those figures are the chamber’s own. They are reported here as its estimates rather than as verified port data.
What the Ports Authority Says
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority has rejected congestion as the explanation for cement price increases. Its statement of 10 September says berths 3, 12, 13 and 14 are designated common-user berths for cement and clinker. Berth 13 takes vessels drawing up to 14 metres and berth 14 up to 12 metres.
The authority’s statement does not address berths 10 and 11 at all. The two accounts of how many berths are available have not been reconciled. Tema Port has 21 berths in total.
The Meeting and the Extra Berth
The trade minister, Elizabeth Ofosu-Adjare, and the transport minister, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, met the ports authority, the Ghana Revenue Authority and manufacturers on Friday 11 September. The meeting took place at the port.
Graphic Online reported on 12 September that an additional berth had been secured, though neither the ports authority nor the ministries have identified it by number. Trade press had reported a day earlier that the allocation was still under consideration, and neither account has been officially confirmed.
No change to duty-payment procedures has been published by the ports authority or the ministries. The revenue authority did take part in the meeting.
The Competition Objection
CUTS International’s West Africa Regional Centre, a consumer rights advocacy group, spoke out on 7 September. It said competitors agreeing on an element of price bears the classic hallmarks of cartel behaviour. It questioned why manufacturers with different cost structures all arrived at GH¢12.
Ghana has no operational national competition authority, which means the question has no forum in which it can be tested. That absence is the reason a collectively agreed surcharge can be imposed and argued about in public, rather than examined.
What It Costs a Buyer
GH¢12 a bag is about US$1.05. On a modest house requiring two hundred bags, the surcharge alone adds about US$210 to the build, before any underlying price movement.
Cement is among the most visible prices in Ghana because so much household saving goes into incremental building. That is why a per-bag surcharge becomes a political question faster than most industrial cost pass-throughs. Buyers feel it one bag at a time.
More: Africa news in English, every day from The Rio Times.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the surcharge?
GH¢12 a bag, about US$1.05, agreed on 28 August 2026 and running to 31 December.
Why was it imposed?
Cement producers say congestion at Tema Port has pushed vessel waiting times from about seven days to 30 to 40 days, costing US$800,000 to US$1 million a vessel in demurrage.
Does the ports authority agree?
No. It rejects congestion as the explanation and says berths 3, 12, 13 and 14 are available for cement and clinker.
Has an extra berth been allocated?
Graphic Online reported on 12 September that one had been secured, but no berth has been identified and the authorities have not confirmed it.
Is the surcharge lawful?
CUTS International says a uniform surcharge agreed collectively raises cartel concerns. Ghana has no operational competition authority to examine it.
Sources: MyJoyOnline, CemNet, Graphic Online, The High Street Journal, The Ghana Report, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief
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