The Fourth International Maritime Organization (IMO) Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Study, published in 2020, estimated that the maritime industry contributed 2.89% to global anthropogenic GHG emissions in 2018. By 2050, these emissions could increase to between 90% and 130% of 2008 levels. In response, the 2023 IMO GHG Strategy aims to strengthen the IMO’s role in global emission reduction efforts by addressing GHG emissions from international shipping, identifying actions for the sector, considering impacts on States, promoting incentives for research and development, and monitoring emissions.
For a truly global discussion, empirical evidence from Africa is necessary for informing policy decisions. In response, the Leading Effective Afro-centric Participation (LEAP) project initiative was developed to provide a technical toolkit with four key workstreams necessary for supporting the African member states. One of the four is the systematic assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping activities of six African IMO member states, namely Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia and Nigeria.
Thus, this report presents a systematic assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Ghana’s international shipping activities, covering the period 2018–2023. Undertaken as part of the LEAP Project, this GHG inventory report is a collaborative effort by the PATNA Initiative, the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), and Ghana Shippers Authority (GSA), in partnership with the UCL Shipping and Oceans Research Group, financially supported by Oceans 5.
The study aimed to quantify energy demand and GHG emissions from international voyages at Ghana’s main maritime gateways: Tema and Takoradi ports. It utilised a combination of local vessel call data (2018, 2023) and Automatic Identification System (AIS) data (2018) to analyse emissions by vessel type, port, and partner country, also providing insights into domestic movements. Key technical parameters from AIS data enabled robust estimations of energy demand (terajoules) and CO₂ emissions (tonnes), with local data used for validation.
Key findings indicate that bulk carriers and container ships are the biggest contributors to energy demand and CO₂ emissions, a consistent trend between 2018 and 2023. Tema Port consistently shows the highest emissions due to its capacity and transshipment role. Emissions are significantly linked to voyages with neighbouring West African ports (e.g., Togo, Nigeria, Ivory Coast) due to transshipment, as well as long-haul voyages to Malaysia. Domestically, the Tema–Takoradi route accounts for the largest share of energy demand and CO₂ emissions. Overall, the stability in vessel types and trade profiles suggests Ghana’s shipping-related GHG footprint remained largely unchanged during this period
