Deal to cede 20% containerized cargo to GPHA by MPS kick-starts Jan. 1 2023 – DG Luguje
The control of 20% containerised cargo at the Tema Port by the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) begins January 1, 2023, says Director General of the GPHA, Michael Luguje.
Making the disclosure at a press soiree on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, Mr Luguje averred significant progress has been made towards the realisation of the agreement between GPHA and Meridian Port Services (MPS).
“Regarding the 20% containerised cargo to be ceded to GPHA by MPS, we have made enough progress and expect to begin on January 1, 2023.
“We also have a new project with MPS which will be undertaken in 2023, this new project is different from the 20% containerised cargo deal,” quipped Mr Luguje.
The implementation of the 20% containerised cargo agreement by GPHA on January 1, 2023, follows several postponements by the MPS.
Per an earlier statement issued by MPS, the GPHA was to commence its control of the 20% containerised cargo at the Port on August 1, 2022. But for some unknown reasons, that did not materialize.
Indeed, an earlier reportage indicated that the GPHA was to commence implementation of the 20% containerised cargo at the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Addressing concerns raised about the ongoing construction of the Keta Port, Mr Luguje quipped the GPHA would not be pressurised into the construction of the Keta Port.
According to him, “It took about ten years to get the Tema Port constructed from beginning to end, and the Tema Port was constructed small and expanded with time.
“We don’t have to rush the Keta Port Project, there is the need to go through all the process.”
He stressed that the Keta Port project, which would be the third seaport in Ghana after Tema and Takoradi Ports, had received a lot of public bashing after the appointment of a director even though the actual construction was yet to take off.
Further addressing the concerns, the GPHA director-general said the Keta Port is a strategic project of the state, therefore, the necessary procedures required for building such a facility must be followed to the latter.
“Building a port is a meticulous process, it has a life cycle, which includes feasibility and other studies, analysis, before the actual construction, and also an Executive Instrument must be signed by the president,” he stressed.
The director-general further indicated that a lot of progress have been made about the Keta Port project, explaining that a feasibility study, stakeholder engagements, and an environmental assessment have been done.
Also speaking at the press soiree was Esther Gyebi-Donkor, general manager, Marketing and Corporate Affairs, GPHA who reiterated the determination of the Authority to build the Keta Port.
She stressed that the GPHA was focused and was not perturbed by public sentiments on the project as they would deliver.
Mrs Gyebi-Donkor urged the media to contact the GPHA on issues that they needed clarification on instead of the penchant of some media outlets to publish one-sided stories, which ended up creating confusion in the public.
She added that the GPHA considered the media as a strategic partner and was ready to engage them, adding that in 2023, they would organize some training sessions for the media to keep them well informed on the operations of the Port.
