Gov’t to construct bulk cargo jetty at Takoradi Harbour

Government says it has reached an advance stage with a Belgium firm to construct a bulk jetty terminal for shipping cargoes at the Takoradi Harbour in the Western Region as part of moves to facilitate trade in the western enclave of the country. Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah who announced this also said a local firm has been given concession to raise about 375 million dollars for the construction of a multipurpose terminal at the Takoradi Harbour. These, the minister explained, form part of the Takoradi Harbour expansion project that is being pursued by the government to open up the western enclave to the rest of the world, especially due to the oil industry in the area. “The government of Ghana has given a concession to a local firm to raise almost 375 million dollars to do the multipurpose terminal at Takoradi all in readiness for this expansion. We are also concession a new berth for bulk jetty terminal, which we are in an advance stage with Sea Invest of Belgium,” Mr. Asiamah said. He was speaking to Takoradi-based Connect 97.1FM on the sidelines of a public lecture organised by Women in Shipping Trading Association (WISTA) Ghana. The minister underscored the need for the Takoradi port to be developed to attract bigger vessels, considering that a lot of the export for bauxite, manganese, cocoa and timber among other minerals in the country are from the Western Region. “For Takoradi, we need to develop it because once the western enclave is developing, bigger vessels are coming so if we don’t go down deep between 14 and 15 feet, it is going to be difficult to attract the needed vessel to the western side,” he noted. With the expansion projects, he said the port would attract bigger vessels, noting that authorities were already in talks with some partners in the industry to that effect. “We are doing a lot of investment in Takoradi port; apart from that there are other activities which is going on in Takoradi just to expand it to meet the needed infrastructural development” By Loveridge Ampratwum Okyere|editors.3news.com|Ghana