Alan Kyerematen promises to catalyze economic growth by establishing free port in Tema

Alan Kyerematen, the leader of the Movement for Change, has promised to transform Tema into a free port enclave in Ghana if he wins the December 7, 2024 elections.

Kyerematen believes that creating a free port in Tema will encourage economic development in Ghana by attracting landlocked West African countries to use the Tema port as a transit

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He thinks that this move would help Ghana grow, and he believes that it has worked well in other advanced countries. During his Greater Accra Market Tour on February 26, 2024, Kyerematen visited the Tema market and explained his vision.

He said, "Tema will become a freeport enclave under my presidency. When I talk about a freeport, we all know the benefits of a freeport enclave. You find that all the Sahelian countries and even some of our neighbouring countries that are not landlocked still will prefer to come through Tema with their cargo."

Kyerematen emphasized that creating a freeport enclave would make it easier to access markets due to transit cargo. He pointed out that there are many successful freeports globally, such as Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Mauritius, and Togo.

However, Kyerematen clarified that the proposal only applies to the Tema port enclave, not the whole country stating, "Creating a freeport enclave does not mean that the whole country becomes a freeport. But you create an enclave that will allow transit cargo to pass through this country. And that is the only way we can also attract traffic of vessels, shipping vessels. A lot of them would like to consolidate their cargo in Ghana. If we have a free port enclave, it doesn’t mean that the whole country becomes a free port."

Alan also denied that the creation of the free port would lead to revenue loss. He dismissed concerns about potential revenue loss and said, "So, the issue of revenue loss does not come in. Rather you find enhanced economic activity arising out of the creation of them. So, if you want to be like Singapore, like Hong Kong… that is the way to go."