World Bank warns port delays are choking Ghana’s economic competitiveness
By Adnan Adams Mohammed
Ghana’s ambitions to become a regional trade powerhouse are being severely undermined by staggering delays at its ports, according to the latest World Bank B-READY 2026 assessment.
The report, released during a high-level working session in Accra on Tuesday, reveals a sharp contrast between Ghana’s strong legal frameworks and its sluggish operational reality. While the country has successfully drafted “business-ready” laws, the time taken to move goods across borders remains a massive drag on the private sector.
According to Subika Farazi, Senior Economist in the World Bank’s Business Ready Unit, the bottleneck is most visible in the time required for customs and border clearance. While some African neighbors have streamlined their processes to under a week, Ghana’s timelines often stretch into weeks.
“In Ghana, it takes on average 9 days for export and 23 days for import clearance,” Farazi noted. “Compare this to Cameroon, where the same processes take around five to eight days.”
A “Public Services Gap”
The findings highlight a recurring theme in Ghana’s economy: regulatory strength versus operational weakness. The World Bank data shows that while Ghana ranks highest in the region for its regulatory pillar—outperforming almost all peers—it falls behind Togo, Senegal, and Cape Verde in the efficiency of actually delivering those services.
Ghana’s Readiness Scores by Sector:
● Financial Services: 72% (Strongest)
● Labour & Business Entry: Strong performance
● Market Competition: 34% (Weakest)
● International Trade: Significant bottlenecks in efficiency
Impact on the 24H⁺ Programme
The port delays present a direct challenge to the government’s flagship 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme (24H⁺). This initiative aims to transform Ghana into an export-driven hub, but experts at the session warned that “round-the-clock” production is meaningless if goods are stuck at the border for 23 days.
The working session brought together leaders from food processing and light manufacturing—sectors that depend on the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). For these businesses, “time is money,” and current port inefficiencies act as an informal tax on their growth.
The Path Forward: Quick Gains
The World Bank maintains that tackling these clearance delays could provide the fastest boost to Ghana’s business environment. Recommendations include:
1. Border Management Reform: Integrating digital systems to reduce physical touchpoints.
2. Operational Synchrony: Aligning port agencies with the 24-hour production cycle.
3. Strengthening Competition: Reducing the “market competition” gap to allow more SMEs to enter the export trade.
“Tackling clearance delays and strengthening operational efficiency could deliver some of the quickest gains for Ghana,” the report concluded.
