Feasibility study on ports expansion begins

Spread (lead) April 14, 2008

Story & Pix: Charles Benoni Okine, Tema

A feasibility study to provide a master plan for the development and expansion of the country’s two major ports in Tema and Takoradi has taken off.
Funded by the United States Trade and Development Agency (UNTDA) at a cost of $698,150, the study will specifically analyse the development of container facilities for the Tema Port and the development of a concession at the Takoradi Port.
The plan, when developed, will see the development of four berths, eight gantry cranes, cargo handling equipment, dredging and improved cargo storage facilities at the Tema Port, while the Takoradi Port will have approximately two container berths with four cranes, three bulk goods berths, one oil berth, one multi-purpose berth, cargo handling equipment and dredging.
Speaking to the press shortly after a tour of the project site in Tema at the weekend, the visiting US Deputy Secretary for Transportation, Vice-Admiral Thomas J. Barret, said, “It is the intention of the US to help Ghana to develop its infrastructure, both at the ports and on the roads, to make the country more competitive in the sub-region.”
On the tour were the Minister of Harbours and Railways, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi; the Director-General of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) Mr Peter Issaka Azumah; the Director-General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr Ben Owusu-Mensah; the Press Attaché at the US Embassy in Ghana, Mr Ben East, among other top ranking officials from both the US Embassy and the GPHA.
In addition to the estimated US exports of approximately $191 million, the study is also expected to lead to significant development benefits for Ghana, particularly regarding the improvement of basic infrastructure and an increased capacity for trade.
Admiral Barret dismissed allegations that the US was interested in helping Ghana to develop its ports, particularly the one in Takoradi, because of the oil find.
“The US has been supporting Ghana to build its infrastructure before the oil discovery was made and the intention is not because of the oil but to ensure that Ghana’s ports are developed to enhance trade and reduce the cost of doing business at the ports,” he added.
Admiral Barret said it had always been the intention of the US to maintain the partnership and enhance trade between the two countries.
He said in doing so, there was the need for that trade to be cost effective and that could be realised through an improvement in transportation.
He said there would be greater dialogue between the two countries for the rapid development of the road sector.
Admiral Barret commended the government for the pragmatic steps it had taken to improve the ports and mentioned, for instance, the recent provision of a refrigeration facility for the storage of fresh fruits and vegetables for export, among others.
The Vice-President of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), Ms Maureen Harrington, said the US government was committing up to $200 million to enable the country to improve its agriculture.
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi, in an answer to a question from the US delegation about how the country was positioning itself to be the maritime hub in the sub-region, said the government had invested and continued to invest in infrastructural developments at the ports.
He admitted that the ports in some neighbouring countries were much ahead but indicated that “the government is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we match them and overtake them in the next few years”.
Professor Ameyaw-Akumfi said the container terminals at the ports were being rapidly expanded, while the rail network was also on the verge of being rehabilitated and revamped to meet traffic demands.