As part of efforts to ease congestion and reduce delays in cargo clearance, the government has announced plans to create additional berths at the Tema Port for ships carrying clinker. Berths are specific spaces at a port where ships dock (park) so they can load or unload their cargo.

In this regard, the Ministers of Transport and Trade, Agribusiness, and Industry are expected to meet at the Tema Port in the coming days to explore measures to create additional berths.

Transport Minister, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, made this information public while speaking to the media on Wednesday, September 9.

He added, “The Cement Manufacturers, their problem is that we have allocated two berths for them. They want more berths so that their clinker comes, they will be cleared quickly. As I mentioned, the containerized cargo has also increased.

“There’s competition for space at the port to be able to serve all our importers. Friday, myself and the Minister for Trade, Honourable Elizabeth will be going to the port to see how we can also see which of the areas we can cede off to support the clearance of the cement raw materials that they are importing so that at least they will not be faced with any damage or any other extra charges”.

According to the Transport Minister, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is expected to acquire two faster cranes to speed up cargo handling, reduce delays, and prevent shipping companies from paying demurrage.

“I also instructed the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority to acquire two cranes that will be able to load and offload quickly so that all the ships or all the shipping lines coming in with cargo would not have any issue in terms of delay that would have caused them to pay demurrage any longer.

“So they are going to do an emergency acquisition of two cranes that will augment already what they have on the ground that will facilitate the loading and offloading of cargo, and it is believed that we will be able to decongest the port,” he noted.

In a separate development, cement prices have increased by GH¢12 per bag following the introduction of a corresponding surcharge by the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers, Ghana. Retailers say the development is putting additional pressure on their businesses as sales continue to decline.

Speaking to the media, cement retailer Vida Okyere stated, “Prices of cement increased last week by GH¢12, and it’s very bad. Customers are complaining because, at first, when the cement was increased, it wasn’t up to GH¢12. It was maybe GH¢3 or GH¢4. For instance, if the customers have a budget to buy 10 bags of cement, due to the increment, they will be compelled to lower their target or not make the purchase at all.

However, the Chamber says the increase is part of efforts to help cement manufacturers recover costs incurred from shipments delayed at the Tema Port.

On February 23, the Trade and Transport Ministers held an emergency meeting with cement companies and other stakeholders in the country to find solutions to the delay at the port, which has caused the clinker to be stuck at the port for almost a month now, slowing down cement production.

Industry players expressed concern over the long delays for vessels, which push operational costs, which are likely to be passed on to consumers.

Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Cement Manufacturers, Ghana (COCMAG), Bishop DrGeorge Dawson-Ahmoah described the situation as dire, warning that the industry is “leaking” financially due to escalating demurrage charges.

In response to their concerns, authorities acknowledged the ongoing dredging works at the port, suggesting temporary measures to avert the financial burden that the said increase will have on ordinary Ghanaians.

Among some of the measures are temporary access to additional berths and the handling of non-dust-producing materials such as gypsum and slag at alternative berths to ease congestion.

Mr Nikpe assured industry players that dredging work is being fast-tracked and is expected to be completed by the end of June.

Once completed, the port will accommodate vessels over 20,000 tonnes, up from the current 8,000-tonne capacity, reducing turnaround times.Until then, stakeholders warn that persistent congestion and rising demurrage costs could trigger cement price increases, with consumers likely to bear the impact.

Meanwhile, in May 2025, Ghana experienced its last cement price hike before the proposed February 2026 increase. At that time, manufacturers raised prices because of several economic pressures.

The first major factor was the rising cost of clinker imports, which is the essential raw material used in cement production. Since Ghana relies heavily on imported clinker, global price increases directly affected local production costs.

Secondly, transportation and energy costs had gone up significantly. Moving clinker from ports to factories and powering production facilities became more expensive, which added to the overall burden on manufacturers.

Finally, the persistent exchange rate depreciation made imports more costly. As the Ghanaian cedi weakened against major currencies, the price of clinker and other imported inputs rose further, forcing cement producers to adjust their prices upward.

Also, some months before the May increment, cement prices in Ghana were announced to go up significantly, with retailers planning to increase the cost by around GHC 9 per bag starting Thursday, February 27. Some retailers had already begun charging the new prices.

Samuel Azu, a cement retailer, confirmed the price adjustment. “We had not yet increased the price, but it was to take effect starting Thursday. From then on, any customer purchasing a bag of cement would need to pay GHC 120.00.

“This price hike was essential because, without it, we would not be able to restock. If you did not have that amount, you would not be able to buy cement in Tema or anywhere else in the country. The factories had explained that the government had raised port tariffs,” Azu said.

Azu further elaborated on the dependency on imported materials, stating, “Since most materials used in cement production are imported, any increase in costs from the source directly impacted the final price.”