The Keta Sea Port Project is going to be the game-changer for the development of the Volta and Oti Regions as feasibility studies confirm its economic viability, the Minister of Transport, Mr KwakuAsiamah, has said.
He has therefore appealed to the chiefs and people of the area to lend their full support towards the project as government moves in to select a strategic partner for its execution.
Mr Asiamah who was speaking at a stakeholder engagement on the project in Accra yesterday said the processes towards the development of the project was far advanced and a strategic partner was expected to be selected soon for the actual execution.
The meeting formed part of efforts to strengthen Public-Private Partnership (PPP) as a way of financing public infrastructure projects for accelerated development.
It attracted various stakeholders including chiefs and opinion leaders from the Keta Municipality, members of the investor community and engineers from across the country.
Mr Asiamah said the first phase of the project also known as the ‘Port Nuclues’ was estimated at $600million and would consist of main facilities which would also be the key drivers of the port which is a commercial one.
The facilities, he said would include a commercial port gate with the access control and administration building, multipurpose terminal with a berth of 500metres and a RoRo Dock, oil terminal consisting of tank farm and an oil jetty.
The other facilities are a shipyard with dedicated basin for floating docks and vessel maintenance, fishing port and related amenities, small craft services and access roads.
He said the discussions critical to the commencement of the project had gone far and the procurement processes was expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2022.
He said government was committed to seeing through with the project and would do everything possible to ensure its realisation.
On his part, the project engineer for the Keta Sea Port, Mr Komla Ofori said the feasibility study so far had proven that the project was both technically and financially viable.
He said the next stage prior to the actual construction was the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) which would commence soon.
The board chair of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr Isaac Osei, said the engagement was imperative because opinions of stakeholders mattered in the whole process.
“We have been given a job to do, and that job is to see to the development of the Port of Keta.
We take this mandate seriously because we know how important it is to Ghana and the West African Sub-region, as a whole,” he said.
BY CLIFF EKUFUL
