Sao Tome will soon have a port of entry at one of Ghana’s ports as part of efforts to strengthen the bilateral trade ties between the two countries in terms of port infrastructure.
A port of entry is a physical gateway that connects shipping or freight from one jurisdiction, such as a foreign country, to another.
Expected to be sited at either Tema in Greater Accra Region or Takoradi in the Western Region, the entry would receive goods from various part of the world for onward shipping to Sao Tome.
The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah made the revelation, yesterday, when the Minister of Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Environment of Sao Tome, Mr Adelino Cardoso paid a courtesy call on him.
He said the Takoradi Port in the Western Region of the country was one of the most sophisticated ports in the world with modern infrastructure.
He explained that the Takoradi Port was built in 1928 with drafts measuring 8.3 metres and could not attract any huge investments, thereby making the government arrive at the decision to give the port a major facelift.
He said this led to the establishment of a new container multipurpose terminal built with a draft of 15 metres, among other modern facilities and equipment to facilitate better operations at the Takoradi Port.
“The Takoradi Port has been developed into a modern port with world class equipment and infrastructure. We are happy about the discussions currently going on between us and Sao Tome.”
“Very soon we will make the final decision as to which of the two ports that Sao Tome will use as their port of entry because the Tema Port is also equally in good shape,” he added.
Mr Cardoso who was in the company of other government officials from Sao Tome commended the government for the total transformation of its ports, especially the Takoradi Port.
He expressed the hope that the two countries would agree to work together to further strengthen their bilateral relationship even beyond the transport industry.
He said Ghana already had a relationship with Sao Tome in terms of aviation, “however now we want to deepen our tie by looking at how we can build another relationship in terms of port operations.”
Ghana’s location, he said was ideal and would not cause any form of hindrance when Sao Tome starts operating its port of entry either at the Tema or Takoradi Port.
Touching on the tourist’s attraction sites in Sao Tome, Mr Cardoso urged Ghanaians to make it a point to visit the country “to have an unforgettable tourism experience in Sao Tome.”
BY RAISSA SAMBOU
