Takoradi Harbour

Takoradi Harbour is a commercial seaport in the industrial district of Sekondi-Takoradi, in Ghana's Western Region. It is the oldest harbour in the country and, together with Tema Harbour, one of only two in Ghana. Construction began in 1921 under Governor Sir Gordon Guggisberg, and the port was commissioned for business in 1928 as West Africa's first artificial harbour. It is managed by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and is a member port of the International Association of Ports and Harbours.

For a visitor, the harbour's interest is largely historical and contextual rather than recreational. GhanaTRVL describes the 1928 Old Port as a living testimony to Sekondi-Takoradi's maritime history and heritage, and the site is catalogued as a heritage site with a history focus. The port's scale is significant: GPHA reports that in 2024 it handled 36.8% of Ghana's seaborne traffic, 77.4% of seaborne exports and 17% of seaborne imports. Major commodities include manganese, bauxite, clinker, wheat, bulk and bagged cocoa, quicklime, containerised cargo, and mining and oil-and-gas equipment. Since the 2007 offshore oil discovery, it has served as the main logistics support base for Ghana's offshore oil and gas sector, and it also serves landlocked Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

This is a secured, working industrial port, and general public access is restricted. It is not a conventional visitor attraction, and there is no confirmed passenger lounge, retail concession or baggage storage inside the port. Entry is through the Takoradi Harbour Main Gate on Harbour Road, where port security checks credentials; cruise passengers have been reported to require a ship card and passport or travel document. The berth-to-gate route passes through an active industrial yard and is not suitable for independent pedestrian navigation. Cruise ships berth at the multipurpose quay; no purpose-built passenger cruise terminal is confirmed.

Vendors selling crafts, carvings and souvenirs, reportedly in US dollars, have been reported just outside and near the gate area. The nearby Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel has been used as a staging area with internet access and beverage purchase. Port facilities themselves are industrial: multipurpose berths, a container terminal, manganese and bauxite export berths, and an oil and gas support terminal.

GPHA's Port of Takoradi office can be reached at P. O. Box 708, Takoradi, by telephone on +233 (0) 3120 24073, or by email at [email protected]. Anyone planning to visit should confirm current access arrangements with the port authority in advance, since entry is controlled and conditions may change.