President John Dramani Mahama has dismissed allegations that excavators are being secretly released at night from the Tema Port, insisting that the movement of the heavy-duty machines is part of a lawful decongestion exercise.
Speaking at his maiden media engagement on Wednesday, September 10, the President explained that government is enforcing regulations requiring importers to obtain permits before bringing excavators into the country.
“In the meantime, a lot of excavators have arrived at the port, and recently, somebody claimed they were being released at midnight to their owners. That’s not true,” he said.
According to him, the influx of earthmoving equipment has overstretched storage facilities at the port, compelling authorities to relocate the machines to a secured site near a military installation.
“They move them at night to ease congestion because of daytime traffic,” Mahama noted. “At night, pay-loaders transport the excavators out of the port to designated holding areas where they remain until all conditions are satisfied.”
The President stressed that no excavator leaves the holding site without meeting strict requirements such as registration, installation of tracking devices, and verification of both ownership and intended use.
While reiterating his government’s commitment to fighting illegal mining, Mahama emphasised that a blanket ban on excavator imports would be counterproductive.
“We cannot completely stop the importation of excavators,” he explained. “Licensed large-scale mining companies and the construction sector legitimately require them. What we want is to know who is importing each excavator, where it is going, and to ensure a tracker is installed so that we can trace it anywhere in the country.”
