Mahama orders audit into Tema Port revenue leakages

President John Dramani Mahama has ordered an immediate audit of revenue collections at the Tema Port, following concerns about a decline in government earnings despite increased cargo volumes.

The directive was issued during a meeting with the leadership of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) at the Jubilee House on Friday, July 11, 2025.

President Mahama expressed concern about the growing disparity between import volumes and revenue collected, describing the situation as troubling.

“There has been an increase in volumes, a considerable increase, which should have made up for any shortfall. Instead, we are seeing a reduction,” the President said. “The Minister and his team have been tasked to investigate and identify the issues.”

According to Mr Mahama, the Minister for Finance presented a report to Cabinet on Thursday showing that revenue performance from Tema Port had fallen below expectations. This comes despite recent gains made by the cedi, which he noted should have improved duty compliance.

“The understanding is that with the stabilisation of the cedi, the amount of cedis required to pay the same amount of duty has reduced. It should have encouraged compliance,” Mr Mahama added.

The President said the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Customs Division had been instructed to work closely with stakeholders, including freight forwarders, to address revenue leakages and strengthen transparency at the port.

Mr Stephen Adjokatcher, President of GIFF, welcomed the audit and expressed the freight forwarding community’s willingness to support the process. He highlighted inefficiencies in some port systems, particularly the Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS), as factors contributing to revenue losses and delays.

“We get frequent complaints that the ICUMS platform is down, but demurrage continues to be charged even when it is not the fault of the freight forwarder,” Mr Adjokatcher said.

Mr Mahama also noted that while the 24-hour economy initiative had begun operating at some port terminals, its full implementation was being hindered by delays from certain state agencies.

He mentioned institutions such as the Ghana Standards Authority and the Food and Drugs Authority as needing to fully align with the policy.

The President reiterated the government’s commitment to investing in infrastructure through the “Big Push” initiative.

The plan, which proposes an annual allocation of $2 billion over five years, includes road and rail improvements aimed at easing congestion and supporting port operations.