{
  "id": 2080040,
  "title": "Payment Failures at Ghana’s Ports Are Driving Up Import Costs",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/20/payment-failures-at-ghanas-ports-are-driving-up-import-costs",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-20T05:23:22.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Rio Times",
    "slug": "the-rio-times",
    "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/ghana-gov-port-banking-glitches-demurrage-fuel-2026/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ghana's ports are experiencing payment failures that are inflating import costs. The digital payment system, known as Ghana.gov, has been plagued by glitches causing delays and congestion. This leads to weekly demurrage charges of GH¢30 million at Tema Port. The problem extends beyond digital systems, with banks at the ports facing staffing shortages and connectivity issues. Freight forwarders have protested bank closures, causing long queues and slowing down duty payments. The Integrated Customs Management System (ICUMS) also suffers frequent outages, causing cargo transfer delays and processing issues. Shipping lines are adding hidden costs by using foreign exchange rates different from the official rate. Importers face not only state taxes and bank charges but also discretionary foreign exchange mark-ups in the logistics chain. The Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders estimates that GH¢30 million in weekly demurrage is paid to shipping lines. A high-profile case involved 2,500 containers left uncleared at Tema Port, accumulating demurrage of over GH¢1.0 billion. Demurrage is particularly costly for Ghana's fuel supply chain, which relies heavily on imports. One private operator has monopoly rights at the single-point mooring facility, resulting in discharge fees of about US$8 per metric tonne. The government and industry are taking steps to address the issues, including a more transparent system for allocating laycan and scheduling fuel vessel discharges. A 24-hour economy policy aims to reduce demurrage, but regulatory agencies and port operators still hold significant leverage in the ecosystem, influencing clearance and discharge permissions.",
  "summary": "When the payment rail fails, the container does not move. In Ghana that is now a fuel-supply question as well as a paperwork one. The post Payment Failures at Ghana’s Ports Are Driving Up Import Costs appeared first on The Rio Times .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}