CUTS International’s West African Regional Director, Appiah Adomako Kusi, is calling for urgent reforms to Ghana’s logistics system, citing delays at the ports as a major source of additional costs for businesses.
He said delays in discharging finished fuel products at Ghana’s ports resulted in about $60 million being paid to shipping lines in demurrage last year.
Mr Adomako Kusi explained that prolonged delays at the ports often result in additional charges for tankers and Bulk Distribution Companies (BDCs) as they wait for vessels to offload their cargo.
“Last year, close to about $60 million was paid as demurrage to shipping lines because of the delays it takes for these shipping vessels to be able to unload the finished products into the country.”
He noted that the problem is not limited to petroleum products, pointing to similar delays affecting clinker imports and concerns raised by freight forwarders about cargo clearance at the airport.
Mr Adomako Kusi also pointed to the high cost of domestic air travel as a challenge, saying the various inefficiencies highlight the need for a broader review of Ghana’s systems for transporting goods and services.
He urged policymakers to treat logistics as an efficiency and engineering issue, with the aim of improving the movement of goods and services while reducing associated costs.
He said addressing weaknesses in the logistics system could help cut avoidable costs and improve efficiency, warning that leaving the existing gaps unresolved would only lead to higher expenses without corresponding gains.
Mr Adomako Kusi therefore called for coordinated reforms across Ghana’s logistics sector, saying reducing delays and improving efficiency at key entry points would help lower business costs, strengthen competitiveness and support more efficient movement of goods and services.
