#freighttimelines

By Gloria Sewor

When most people think about delays in freight, their minds jump straight to customs clearance or port congestion. And yes, those matter—hugely. But there’s another factor, one that operates silently and steadily in the background, often underestimated: the roads themselves.

Ghana’s road infrastructure plays a central role in how goods move from ports to warehouses, factories to retail shelves, and border points to rural hubs. And if you’ve ever tried to move cargo from Tema to Tamale during the rainy season, you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Freight doesn’t just need to arrive. It needs to arrive on time, intact, and without bleeding your logistics budget dry in the process. That last part? It's where road conditions can quietly make or break a shipment.

It’s Not Just About Potholes

People hear “bad roads” and think potholes. But the challenge is more layered than that. We’re talking about:

Unpaved or poorly maintained secondary routes

Seasonal flooding that cuts off key highways

Weight restrictions on certain bridges

Unmarked detours due to ongoing roadworks

Now, these issues don’t exist everywhere all the time. Some corridors are fantastic—well-maintained, expanding, and getting more efficient. But others, especially those leading to landlocked regions or connecting to neighboring countries, are… complicated. Predictability is often the first casualty.

We had a shipment once—a container of pharmaceuticals bound for Wa. Everything was on track from Tema Port. But 120 km from the destination, heavy rains made part of the route impassable for the truck's axle weight. A five-hour delay turned into two days. And with medical supplies, time sensitivity isn’t a luxury—it’s non-negotiable.

The Cost of Unpredictability

Delays caused by road issues don’t just hurt delivery schedules. They ripple across entire supply chains:

Perishable goods risk spoilage

Retailers lose revenue due to stockouts

Factories pause production while waiting for parts

Transporters incur extra fuel and driver time costs

At PORTLINK GHANA LIMITED, we’ve developed routing strategies that account for these variables. Sometimes the “shortest” route on paper isn’t the fastest—or the safest. We use real-time driver feedback, weather forecasts, and even community updates to plan around potential road hazards.

Still, there are moments—especially during the peak of the rainy season—where even the best plans require last-minute pivots. That flexibility has to be built into the system. It’s not a bug. It’s the nature of road-based freight in our part of the world.

Investment Is Happening—But It Takes Time

To be fair, road infrastructure in Ghana has seen improvements in recent years. The expansion of key trade corridors like the Accra–Kumasi road and parts of the Eastern Corridor Road are great examples.

Government projects supported by regional trade initiatives and infrastructure partners are ongoing. These improvements aren’t just cosmetic—they reduce transit times, vehicle wear and tear, and ultimately make goods cheaper for everyone involved.

But infrastructure is slow-moving. A new road announced today might not impact your logistics operation for three or four years. So while it’s encouraging, businesses still have to operate within the current realities.

A Practical Example: The Aflao Border Route

Let’s take the Aflao border post as an example—a key point for goods heading between Ghana and Togo. While the border post itself has improved in terms of customs and clearance efficiency, the surrounding roads can be patchy. During busy periods, congestion isn't always caused by traffic alone—it’s a result of vehicles navigating tricky road segments slowly, cautiously, sometimes even dangerously.

We had a rice shipment moving through that corridor. Halfway through, a section of the road near Akatsi gave way after heavy rains. Our team rerouted via Ho—a longer path, yes, but one that ensured timely delivery. It was a scramble, but it worked.

The Human Element

What’s often forgotten is that drivers are navigating these conditions—sometimes overnight, sometimes without rest areas. Bad roads aren’t just a mechanical issue; they affect driver fatigue, morale, and safety.

At PORTLINK GHANA LIMITED, we’ve started staggering dispatch times and rotating driver teams to reduce pressure. It doesn’t solve the road itself, but it helps our people operate better within those conditions. And it matters.

Recognition That Reflects the Bigger Picture

As I write this, I can’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come as a logistics provider in Ghana. PORTLINK GHANA LIMITED is honoured to be a nominee for the 2025 Go Global Awards, hosted by the International Trade Council in London this November.

This isn’t just a moment for our company—it’s an opportunity to connect with global minds addressing complex trade realities. Because logistics isn’t static. The challenges we face in Ghana—like road infrastructure—are mirrored across other parts of Africa and beyond. Events like this create a space to exchange ideas, build partnerships, and imagine smarter ways to move goods in a world that’s always shifting.

We’re proud to be part of that conversation.

Final Thoughts

Roads connect more than places—they connect economies, ideas, and lives. In Ghana, the condition of those roads can quietly determine whether your shipment arrives on time or not at all.

There’s progress, yes. But in the meantime, freight companies, shippers, and importers must plan for the terrain as it is—not as we wish it to be.