Tema port installs X-ray scanner for containers

ACCRA, June 19 (Reuters) - A mobile X-ray scanner to check the contents of incoming and outgoing containers has been installed in Ghana's main port of Tema, officials said on Monday. The scanner, to be operated by a private company, will enable faster clearing of containerised goods and is expected to reduce handling delays, a major source of frustration for shippers.

"The physical inspection of containerised imports has been the most cumbersome task for customs. This scanner will take away all our frustrations," the commissioner of Ghana's Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), Nii Adjei Okine, said at the commissioning ceremony in Tema.

The operating company, Gateway Services Limited, is a joint venture between Cotecna, a Swiss based inspection agency, the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority, CEPS, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, and other private investors.

The installation of the X-ray scanner is part of series of projects under the 'Ghana Trade and Investment Gateway Programme', financed by the World Bank, local private investors and the government.

The objective of the project is kick-start export-led growth as well as to facilitate trade.