Challenges with the Transit Trade Transport System Impeding Economic Growth – The Case of Ghana

Landlocked countries rely on neighboring coastal countries to complete the transactions of international trade. These coastal countries play a significant role for the landlocked countries, as they serve as the hub for receiving transit consignments and transporting them to the landlocked countries. The transit trade generates economic activity for both the transiting and landlocked countries, arising from the processing of cargo clearance at the seaports and the onward transportation of the consignments to the destined landlocked countries. To effectively and efficiently convey the transit trade requires employing the requisite and multimodal form of transport that will result in timely delivery devoid of impediments. Unfortunately, the transportation of transit trade is fraught with modal and systemic challenges in Ghana, as a transit country for the landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The challenges are not exclusive to the transit country. This is due to the singular and non-concerted approach in tackling and addressing the modal and systemic challenges. The aim of this project is to highlight the modal and systemic challenges as they pertain to Ghana, that will give consideration to the establishment of a transportation bureau that can be possibly replicated in the sub-region. The transportation bureau will help harness the potentials for economic growth, spur the development of transport infrastructure and systems, promote multi-modalism and the efficient use of transportation modes, advance coherent approach by landlocked countries and transit country, and enable and facilitate landlocked countries participation in international trade.