For decades, the largest container ships could not enter Tema. The water was too shallow and the quays too short. In 2019, that changed. A new terminal, known as Terminal 3, opened at Tema Port with deep berths and modern cranes, allowing some of the biggest vessels serving West Africa to dock in Ghana.
Tema Port and Meridian
Tema Port opened in 1962 as part of Kwame Nkrumah’s plans to industrialise Ghana. Built alongside the planned city of Tema, it became Ghana’s main port for imports and exports. By the 2000s, Tema’s older berths struggled with growing trade and larger ships. Congestion meant long delays for vessels and cargo, raising costs for importers. Terminal 3 was developed by Meridian Port Services (MPS), a joint venture involving the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and international port operators including APM Terminals and Bolloré. The project cost around 1.5 billion dollars.
The terminal and competition
The terminal has deep-water berths, large ship-to-shore cranes and a big container yard. It was built partly on reclaimed land. The terminal began operations in 2019 and was formally commissioned that year. It significantly increased Tema’s container handling capacity. The deeper berths allowed larger container ships to call directly at Tema, reducing the need to transship cargo through other ports.
Tema competes with ports such as Lomé in Togo, Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and Lagos in Nigeria for regional trade, including cargo bound for landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso.
Criticism, Takoradi and clearing goods
The concession agreement, which gives MPS exclusive rights for container handling at the new terminal for a long period, has been criticised by some unions and analysts, who argue it disadvantages local operators. Ghana’s other main port, Takoradi, has also been expanded, especially to handle bulk cargo and the oil industry. Faster port operations depend on customs processing. Ghana’s single window system for clearing goods aims to reduce delays.
Jobs, trucks and roads
The port and related industries employ thousands of people in Tema, from dockworkers to clearing agents and truck drivers. Containers leaving Tema travel by truck along the motorway and highways to Accra, Kumasi and neighbouring countries. Road congestion around the port remains a problem, and plans for better rail links have been discussed for years.
Nkrumah built Tema Port for the trade of a new nation. Terminal 3 was built for the ships of a very different century.
