The Ghana Ports & Harbours Authority and the China Harbour Engineering Company have signed a contract for the construction of fishing ports and fishing landing sites in some communities on the coast of Ghana.
The project is meant to improve the livelihoods and practices of artisanal fisher-folks and communities in at least 11 coastal towns and cities. With them, the quality and handling of landed fish and other sea foods will improve considerably.
The new mini-ports are to be sited in Axim, Dixcove, Mumford, Moree, Elmina, Winneba, Senya-Beraku, Gomoa-Fete, James Town, Teshie and Keta.
At the signing ceremony at the GPHA Headquarters in Tema, the Director-General of GPHA, Richard Anamoo, assured the Country Representative of the China Harbour Engineering Company, Yang Tao, that the Government of Ghana, would maintain her support for the ‘Better Ghana’ agenda and improve the lives of the fisher folks as “this project is at the very heart of our late President”.
Joana Frances Adda, Marketing and Public Relations Manager, said the project would cost nearly 196 million dollars and would be financed under the China Development Bank (CDB) loan facility.
Besides the basic marine infrastructure of break waters and berthing bays for boats and canoes, each of the 11 sites would also get such facilities as ice-making plants, day-care centres, fish market sheds, net-mending areas and offices.
The facilities would come with roads, electricity and water to the sites.
The 30-month construction would be supervised by Mrssrs DHV consultants, (now in merger with Royal HAskoning).