The visionary leadership of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is bringing an age-long dream of the Volta Region for a port to reality, Minister of Transport, Kweku Ofori Asiamah, has stated.
The development of a port at Keta, he said, has always been a dream of the people of the Volta Region but particularly for inhabitants of the Keta Municipality.
According to him, unsuccessful attempts have been made in the past through private entities by some citizens of the area to initiate construction of the port while tireless efforts by the Chiefs and people to seek past the past government’s support to build the port fell on deaf years.
President Akufo-Addo, he said, demonstrated leadership when he responded to the calls of the chiefs and people and initiated concrete steps to establish the Keta Port.
Mr. Kweku Ofori Asiamah was responding to a parliamentary question that stood in the name of MP for Keta, Richard Mawuli Quarshigah, about government’s plan to build a sea port in the Keta Municipality.
He disclosed that the government through the Ministry of Transport is going through the necessary process to develop the Project.
According to him, as of 10th February 2020 some activities have been concluded or underway at various stages for the project.
A suitable site, he said, has been identified in Kedzi within the Keta Municipality to locate the Port, which takes a good developmental and commercial use of a pre-engineered system of parts of the Keta Lagoon.
He averred that President Akufo-Addo has issued an Executive Instrument (EI) to declare the area a port zone and appointed a Keta Port Director to coordinate all the activities of the Keta Port Development.
The Minister noted that seven respondents out of 19 applicants who expressed interest to an advertisement were shortlisted to submit technical and financial proposals for feasibility studies.
Technical evaluation, he said, was completed on 7th February 2020 and financial proposals opened a week later and evaluation completed by the end of the month.
“Mr. Speaker, it is expected that Consulting Services for the feasibility studies will start in April 2020. The outcome of the Feasibility Report will determine the Infrastructure needs of the Project.”
“The Ministry of Transport with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) Board had met the Paramount Chief and Sub-Chiefs of the Keta Area and has sensitized them on the up-coming Project,” he stated.
Mr. Kweku Asiamah stressed that the government is committed to executing the Keta Port Project to help create jobs and enhance the socio-economic development of the Volta Region and Ghana as a whole.
