President John Dramani Mahama has bemoaned the relatively long turnaround time at Ghana's ports, saying that may push the country out of business with its West African competitors.

"Ghana's port was one of the leading ports in terms of turnaround time in West Africa," he mentioned on Friday, when he paid a surprise visit to the Tema Harbour.

He was taken around the Harbour by Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Richard Anamoo and John Vianney, the Sector Commander of Customs at the Tema Port.

Some importers were given the opportunity to ask president questions. Most of them complained about the turnaround time.

"It is too much. You go to other countries and the process is easy. In Ghana, it takes about two hours to finish with one officer. The level of frustration they put us [in] is too much," one complained.

"We must understand that we are in competition with other ports in Cote d'Ivoire and Togo," the President reminded workers, calling on them to solve the issue before "we lose business".

President Mahama also warned officers against corruption, stressing that it could affect the efforts of government to make the country's ports efficient. He revealed that already funds have been secured to expand the Tema Port with the Takoradi Port to follow suit soon.