By: Hellenic shipping news

The expansion of the MPS Terminal in Tema, Ghana, into one of Africa's largest and most advanced ports illustrates a strategic blueprint for enhancing the continent's global trade competitiveness. Its evolution into a key West African transshipment hub was not accidental but the result of long-term vision, strong governance, and coordinated investment through a partnership between the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, APM Terminals, and Africa Global Logistics.

This development addresses a critical global imbalance: while the container fleet grows 5-6% annually, port capacity increases by only 2-3%, leading to congestion and higher costs. Africa faces acute pressure as shipping lines transition to larger vessels. Tema's proactive response—achieving double-digit volume growth, accommodating 24,000 TEU ships, and implementing digitalized, safe operations—demonstrates how timely investment can create resilient supply chains and lower regional logistics costs.

The success in Tema, where container volumes surpassed 2 million in late 2025, provides a model for West Africa. It shows that ports combining strategic partnerships, digital innovation, and local talent development can attract major shipping lines, enable hub-and-spoke operations, and drive economic growth. With container volumes in West Africa rising nearly 50% in less than a decade, the path forward requires building infrastructure ahead of demand, fostering public-private partnerships, and focusing on skilled workforce development to ensure ports become sustainable engines of trade and digitalization.