Can you give a brief overview of Greenline Logistics and the evolution of the company?

Greenline Logistics was established in 1994, and we are celebrating our 25^th anniversary in November 2019. The company started as a family business because we saw the need for a more structured logistics company in Ghana. Our initial emphasis was on the gold mines and the transportation of dangerous goods. We have been involved in the transportation of dangerous goods for 20 years and still have this capability. With time, we expanded our service portfolio to include custom clearance, forklift rentals, packaging and storage and warehouse management services.

We have also expanded our footprint across the sub-region to take advantage of more opportunities. Today, most of our work is still within the mining sector providing road, sea and air transportation services. The company does serve other industries as well, including the oil and gas sector, the pharmaceutical sector and the food and beverage sector. We have not yet been directly involved in the oil and gas sector, but have provided warehousing, transport and subcontracting services to the industry.

Can you give insights into Greenline Logistics’ implementation of innovative technologies?

Greenline Logistics always aims to innovate, and we are working every day to exceed each client’s expectations. We currently have some innovations in the pipeline that we would like to launch in December 2019.

Can you elaborate on the key challenges of operating in Ghana?

Besides the main cities, the road infrastructure in Ghana is not very good. It can sometimes take a significant amount of time to reach a mine site due to the lack of adequate and well-serviced road networks. Government bureaucracy is another area where challenges are met. It sometimes takes a much longer time to process documents, leading to delays in executing a project. Corruption is another area that needs to be addressed by government, as this is becoming the norm in every business activity in the country. There is also a cultural issue in Ghana in terms of people’s attitude towards work.

Does Greenline Logistics partner with other companies?

Greenline Logistics is lucky to have global business partners that allow us to overcome many challenges and gives us a competitive edge in the market. The company is part of the World Cargo Alliance, and this allows us to work with companies and partners in other countries without having a direct presence in that country. We are always open to more mutually beneficial partnerships, and we are in the process of getting everything in place for Greenline Logistics to go through a big transformation.

The oil industry in Ghana is rapidly growing. Do you believe that the country’s infrastructure is ready for a massive influx of new companies?

I believe that by refurbishing the country’s existing systems, we will be able to support the influx of new companies into Ghana. The government is putting in the effort to support the future of the growing oil industry, and there is a focus on infrastructure development and refurbishment where necessary. For example, an industrial city is being built in the western region of the country to service the oil industry and new oil companies entering the market.

Can you elaborate on the port capacity within Ghana?

The Takoradi port is built with three berths and a lee breaker capable of handling one million tonnes of cargo per year. Expansion works on the port have started with the construction of a multipurpose on-dock Atlantic Container Terminal. The project will see the port being dredged to reach a depth of 16 meters and land reclamation for the building of five new berths to hold bigger capacity vessels. It is currently being dredged to make room for project cargo coming into the country.

The Tema port, the largest in the country, has also embarked on an expansion strategy. This involves the construction of the 4^th and last berth of the new port. The expansion will add another 400 meters of berth to the 1,000 meters already being built, creating a total of 1.4 kilometers of full capacity berth capable of handling vessels up to 16 meter draft. Furthermore, it adds about 30 hectares of land to the total area, creating a total of 127 hectares of new terminal. Our ports are currently underutilized, but with the expansions in progress, they will be positioned to take on bigger cargo.  

What are Greenline Logistics’ key objectives moving forward?

Greenline Logistics would like to expand our business with regards to warehousing, haulage and custom clearance. In the future, we would also like to enter the procurement market. We are also expanding our business in different sectors and have recently received certifications within the pharmaceutical and perishable foods logistics sector.  

After 25 years, Greenline Logistics is ripe and ready to take on more responsibility. We have enjoyed being small, but the time has come for the company to expand its business and develop a much larger network. We aim to become one of the leading logistics companies in West Africa by placing our customers at the core of our operations and subsequently developing greater ties with them. Our success will always be measured by our ability to sustain long-term partnerships, and we pride ourselves in providing efficient, integrated total logistics solutions in a sustainable manner in an ever changing global market.