Ghana has more than enough excavators to meet its development needs, Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has stated, directing international shipping lines to stop importing additional machines into the country.
Mr Nikpe was responding to the recent arrival of excavators at the country’s ports. According to the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), the equipment was moved to military camps nationwide to ease congestion and enhance security. The Authority clarified that the machines would remain in custody until they were duly cleared by their owners.
Speaking in an interview on Joy FM on Thursday, September 11, 2025, the minister questioned the continuous inflow of heavy equipment. “What we have in the system can take care of any genuine work for years,” he said.
“We have written to all the shipping lines that they should not bring in any excavator from anywhere.”
He explained that excavators impounded at Tema Port were being transferred to military camps, including Michel, Burma, Teshie, and the 49 Engineer Regiment, to ease congestion and prevent misuse.
Mr Nikpe emphasised that the transfer was not a release of the equipment to importers but a safeguard while documentation was reviewed. A task force, he said, had been set up to verify whether importers had legitimate contracts, mining concessions or construction projects requiring the machines.
“DVLA will register it and the Minerals Commission will put a tracker on it for us to know where it is and the kind of job it is engaged in,” he stated.
The minister warned that excavators without a clear legal use would be confiscated. He further disclosed that the government would publish the names of importers whose machines were seized, in a bid to promote accountability.
Mr Nikpe referred to the “no permit, no import” policy introduced in June 2025, which requires prior authorisation from the Transport Ministry before earth-moving equipment can be shipped into Ghana.
He noted that some of the excavators currently held at Tema had been ordered before the directive took effect, creating a backlog that contributed to congestion at the port.
While assuring importers of fairness, Mr Nikpe insisted the measures were necessary to safeguard the environment and ensure smooth port operations. “Our port is to do business, and people do not want to have any difficulty going about their business,” he added.
