Payment Failures at Ghana’s Ports Are Driving Up Import Costs
Key Facts
- —What happened Ghana’s state payment website failures are stalling Tema Port, costing importers about GH₵30 million (US$1.9 million) weekly in demurrage fees.
- —How big a jump Annual demurrage exceeds GH₵1.5 billion (US$95 million), with fuel importers paying over US$44 million in one half-year.
- —The real story System breakdowns and bank bottlenecks, not just shipping delays, drive up costs that are passed to consumers.
- —The catch Shipping lines apply their own exchange rates instead of the official Bank of Ghana rate, hiding true costs.
- —Groups affected Importers, fuel buyers, and firms like the Electricity Company of Ghana face penalties; agencies sign off.
- —What comes next A 24-hour port policy aims to cut unloading from 72 to 48 hours, pending full implementation.
When the state payment website stalls, cargo stops moving at Tema Port. Importers pay about GH¢30 million a week in penalties, and fuel supply gets shakier.
How Ghana.gov is meant to work
Ghana.gov is the government’s official website for paying taxes, fees, licences and permits. The idea is one place to pay, instead of a dozen counters.
It sits on top of the country’s wider payment system, which the Bank of Ghana, the central bank, oversees. Bank transfers, mobile money and outside payment companies all feed into it.
The Bank of Ghana called the payment landscape buoyant and robust in its 2024 report on the system. Even so, government offices have run into technical trouble with the outside firms that process their payments.
The Lands Commission said as much in a 2024 notice, when a payment provider stopped it issuing electronic receipts. The problem was fixed, but the pattern is the same everywhere.
The whole system leans on other people’s payment gateways and on a steady internet connection. When either fails, the paperwork stops even though the customer has already paid.
Banking bottlenecks at Tema Port
Even before the recent wave of digital reforms, banks were a chokepoint at Ghana’s ports. At Tema Port, freight forwarders publicly protested in 2020 when banks that collect duties, including GCB Bank and Ecobank, closed satellite branches and operated with limited staff.
Importers ended up in long queues at the few branches left in the clearing hall. Customs officials called the situation unfortunate and said they were looking for a fix.
That still matters, because a Ghana.gov payment often ends at a bank counter. If the bank is short-staffed or offline, the digital short cut leads nowhere.
When the customs system goes down
Every container clears through ICUMS, the computer system Ghana uses to run customs. It goes down often, and when it does the port stops.
Cargo cannot move between terminals and clearance papers cannot be issued. The clock keeps running, so demurrage and storage charges pile up.
The Ghana Revenue Authority has even had to refund people wrongly charged the electronic transfer levy, after internet outages scrambled transactions. Shipping lines add a second problem.
Many apply their own exchange rate instead of the official Bank of Ghana one. That hides costs and makes it very hard for an importer to budget.
Business leaders in Tema describe this as highway robbery in slow motion. Importers pay state taxes, bank charges and a private mark-up on the currency as well.
What the delays cost
Demurrage is the penalty a shipping line charges when a container sits past its free days. The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders puts the national bill at about GH¢30 million a week.
Papers can wait weeks at agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the Ghana Standards Authority. The container waits with them, and the meter runs.
At GH¢30 million a week, that is well over GH¢1.5 billion a year. Almost all of it ends up in shop prices.
One case shows the scale. An investigative report into the Electricity Company of Ghana found 2,500 containers of equipment left uncleared at Tema, with penalties put at about GH¢1.04 billion, later reported as GH¢1.5 billion.
The same report puts the demurrage bill at GH¢909 million, and says 2,491 containers of electrical equipment were logged as arriving while a physical recount found 1,134. The figures are being investigated.
Fuel is where delay hurts most. Ghana imports almost all its petrol and diesel, and about 80% of it is unloaded at a single mooring point out at sea.
Fuel importers paid over US$44 million in demurrage in one recent half-year. That worked through to an extra GH¢0.47 to GH¢0.60 on every litre sold.
One private firm holds the sole right to unload there. It charges about US$8 a tonne, while the regional average is around US$5.
Reform attempts and the 24-hour economy push
The government knows about all this. The presidency has brought in clear written rules for booking a tanker’s unloading slot at the offshore mooring.
Before that, officials decided case by case, which caused delays and arguments. Changes to a ship’s schedule now need approval from a cabinet group on energy security.
Under a wider 24-hour economy policy, fuel terminals must also stay open all night. Unloading used to stop at 2pm, so importers paid overtime to depot and inspection staff.
The aim is to cut the unloading window from 72 hours to 48. The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders calls a real 24-hour system the surest way to bring demurrage down.
Who holds the levers
A handful of players decide whether a container moves or waits. Customs, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Ghana Standards Authority, the National Petroleum Authority and the energy ministry all sign off on clearances.
Banks and payment firms control the door to Ghana.gov and the customs system. Their staffing and their connection can speed a payment up or hold it for days.
Port operators and private terminal owners set prices, helped by exclusive rights over the equipment. Shipping lines set the demurrage rules and pick the exchange rate they use.
So the delay usually starts with a government office or a broken system. The money, though, flows to the shipping lines and the terminal owners.
The bills are mostly written in US dollars. That ties Ghana’s port performance to its foreign currency reserves, a link explored in Africa: The New Scramble.
Connected Coverage
For more on how ports and payment systems shape African trade, read Africa: The New Scramble.
Sources
Frequently Asked Questions
How much demurrage do Ghanaian importers pay each week?
About GH¢30 million a week, according to the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders. Demurrage is the penalty charged when cargo sits at the port past its free days.
Why does Ghana.gov contribute to port delays?
Ghana.gov relies on outside payment firms and a steady internet connection. When either fails, the paperwork stops even though the importer has paid, and the containers stay put.
How does demurrage affect fuel prices in Ghana?
Fuel importers paid over US$44 million in demurrage in one recent half-year. That added GH¢0.47 to GH¢0.60 to the price of every litre at the pump.
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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