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Maritime stakeholders must be proactive – Mike
Hammah
Tema, April 22, Ghanadot/GNA – The
Minister for Transport, Mr Mike Hammah has urged the Ghana
Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) and other stakeholders in
the maritime sector to be proactive towards the achievement
of the gateway project.
Mr Hammah said the success of the project as well as Ghana’s
attainment of middle income status by the year 2020 depends
on a very vibrant maritime sector, noting that 90 percent of
trade worldwide was sea bound.
He made the call on Tuesday, when he paid a working visit to
the Tema port to acquaint himself with the port’s operations
and challenges.
The Minister stated that the gateway project was a strategic
programme drawn by government to attract a mass of investors
into the country to create more jobs for the people.
Mr Hammah indicated that stakeholders must complement each
other’s role to enable the country’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) improve from six percent to between eight and 10
percent.
He advised the GPHA to proactively develop its
infrastructure especially at the Takoradi port to be well
equipped to efficiently compete with other ports in the sub
region.
He noted that the Takoradi port does not have the requisite
infrastructure such as dedicated berths for supply vessels
to support activities associated with the oil find at Cape
Three Point, which is near the port.
Mr Nestor Galley, Acting Director-General of GPHA in a brief
presentation on the ports’ activities said a strategic plan
has been drawn to transform GPHA into a land port authority.
Mr Galley said plans were underway to expand the
infrastructure and efficiency at the port for Ghana to
become the maritime hub of West Africa.
He announced that the GPHA declared a provident of
$3,000,000.00 for 2007 yet to be paid to government as
dividend, explaining that payment has delayed because the
GPHA has not held its annual general meeting for year.
The dividend for 2008 has not been audited yet, although Mr
Galley says, “it looks very good”.
In an open forum, workers of the GPHA appealed to the
Ministry of Transport not to divert the 25 percent of
stevedoring work of the GPHA to private firms, as private
companies currently control 75 percent of stevedoring
activities at the port.
They also called on the government to urgently inaugurate
GPHA’s Board of Directors as the delay has negatively
affected its operations.
GNA
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