The World Bank has raised concerns over persistent delays at Ghana’s ports, warning that prolonged cargo clearance timelines are weakening trade flows and limiting private-sector expansion, particularly for importers and exporters.
According to the Bank, clearing goods through Ghana’s ports takes significantly longer than in several peer African economies. Export clearance averages about nine days, while import processes can stretch to nearly 23 working days.
Speaking at a high-level B-READY working session held in Accra on Tuesday, Senior Economist at the World Bank’s Business Ready Unit, Subika Farazi, attributed the delays to operational inefficiencies at Ghana’s borders, which she said continue to undermine the country’s trade competitiveness.
“In Ghana, export and import clearance takes between nine and 23 days on average, compared to around five to eight days in Cameroon,” Ms Farazi said, underscoring the gap between Ghana and comparable economies.
The concerns form part of the World Bank’s broader Business Ready (B-READY) assessment, which evaluates the regulatory and operational environment for private enterprise. While Ghana scored relatively well in the regulatory framework governing businesses, the Bank found weaknesses in the implementation and efficiency of those regulations.
Ms Farazi noted that although Ghana ranks strongly under the regulatory pillar, its performance under the operational efficiency pillar lags behind several regional peers, including Togo, Senegal, Cameroon and Cape Verde.
“Ghana’s relative performance in operational efficiency is not as strong, with a number of comparable economies recording better outcomes,” she said.
Data from the assessment show that Ghana outperforms many countries in the region in areas such as regulation and public service delivery, ranking highest in the regulatory pillar and second only to Togo in public services. However, efficiency gaps — particularly at border posts — continue to place a heavy burden on businesses and slow down trade processes.
At the sector level, the Bank observed that Ghana performs strongly in financial services, labour and business entry, but faces challenges in areas more closely linked to trade performance, including market competition.
“Overall, Ghana’s business readiness ranges from 72 per cent in financial services to 34 per cent in market competition. While labour indicators remain among the strongest, trade-related bottlenecks persist,” Ms Farazi added.
The World Bank stressed that tackling clearance delays, improving border management and strengthening operational efficiency could deliver quick gains for Ghana’s business environment, especially as the country works to deepen trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and boost private-sector competitiveness.
The B-READY working session brought together senior government officials, private-sector leaders and World Bank experts to assess constraints affecting food processing, light manufacturing and trade facilitation — sectors identified as priorities under the government’s 24H⁺ economic programme.
