Ghana has been recognised as the top-performing nation for maritime safety enforcement in West and Central Africa, after uncovering more vessel safety violations than any other country in the region.
The country earned the top honours at the 16th Port State Control Committee Meeting of the Abuja MoU held in Libreville, Gabon.
The country uncovered more vessel safety violations than any other member state in the region.
According to official regional data from the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Ghanaian inspectors flagged compliance failures in nearly 45 per cent of all ships inspected in 2025.
The committee’s report reveals that out of 288 vessel inspections carried out in Ghanaian ports in 2025, inspectors detected issues on 129 ships, accumulating a total of 645 individual deficiencies.
This contributed significantly to the 1,571 total maritime deficiencies recorded across the entire Abuja MoU region that year.
Abuja MoU
The Abuja Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) harmonises port state control procedures across West and Central Africa by coordinating regional efforts to stop the operation of unsafe or non-compliant ships within territorial waters.
To support this objective, the Abuja MoU Awards were established during the 15th Committee Meeting to motivate member nations to eliminate substandard vessels.
The scheme evaluates performances across three distinct categories - honouring member states that advance gender balance, achieve the highest percentage of inspection commitment over three years, or record the highest percentage of inspections revealing vessel deficiencies over three years.
The deficiency category specifically tracks the proportion of non-compliant vessels detected against total inspections, encouraging oversight rather than routine clearances.
Track record
Ghana’s focus on rigorous vessel inspections has remained consistent over the past three years, according to annual performance records compiled by the Abuja MoU.
In 2023, Ghanaian inspectors conducted 168 inspections, identifying deficiencies in 98 vessels, a 58.3 per cent detection rate that accounted for 579 of the 1,384 total deficiencies recorded across the sub-region.
In 2024, total inspections rose to 233, with inspectors detecting 513 deficiencies across 100 vessels, while 2025 saw Ghana expand its operational reach further, completing 288 inspections and maintaining a strong detection rate of nearly 45 per cent.
Operational gaps
In 2025, Ghana’s commercial seaports recorded 2,108 ship calls, with Tema handling 80 per cent of traffic (1,691 calls) and Takoradi receiving the remaining 20 per cent (417 calls).
Out of 1,112 vessels flagged as eligible for inspection, 289 were boarded, leaving 823 eligible vessels uninspected due to operational constraints.
Data from the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) further reveals sharp operational contrasts between the two main gateways, with Tema Port completing 110 inspections and detecting deficiencies in 80 vessels.
Takoradi Port, by contrast, logged a higher volume of 179 inspections but identified 49 deficient vessels and 176 total deficiencies.
Industry experts attributed this variance to differing operational focuses, inspector availability, and localised shifts in inspection regimes between the two ports.
A recent analysis by the GMA, however, pointed to broader operational hurdles facing maritime inspection in Ghana and across the sub-region.
To bridge these deficits, the report recommended the swift adoption of digital integration tools, such as the Maritime Single Window, to streamline pre-arrival risk assessments and enhance vessel monitoring before ships berth.
Way forward
The Deputy Director-General of the GMA, Mubarick Masawudu, said the country was increasingly viewed as a benchmark for Port State Control quality in a region often challenged by compromised or “clean sheet” inspections.
“This achievement means that Ghana’s inspection regime is conducted with professionalism, integrity and transparency; qualities that remain exceptionally rare within the sub-region,” he said.
Mr Masawudu said that recently some staff were recruited to reinforce PSC teams in both Tema and Takoradi.
On gender inclusion, he said a qualified female officer had been recruited to be trained as a PSC Inspector, and there were plans to progressively recruit more women to achieve gender parity across its inspection teams.
