$ 235 million in fishing port projects take off

General News on Thursday, November 29, 2018

Source: dailyguideafrica.com

2018-11-29

The Akufo-Addo government is awaiting Parliament's approval to begin construction of 10 coastal fishing ports and landing sites in four regions.

This decision follows a recent Cabinet approval of the Ports Commercial and Financial Agreement and a recommendation for Parliament's consideration.

The Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, who informed the media yesterday in Accra, said that a total of 235 million dollars had been earmarked for projects to be located in selected fishing communities .

Identified sites

According to the Minister, the 10 identified sites where the landing sites and related facilities would be built are those of Teshie in the Greater Accra region; Axim, Dixcove in the western region; Elmina, Mumford, Senya-Bereku, Fetteh-Gomah, Moree in the central region and Keta in the Volta region.

In addition to these 10 sites, the government is expected to build an additional fishing port in Jamestown, Accra, with a grant from the Chinese government.

Realizing the promises of the manifesto

These projects are part of the vision of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration to significantly transform the fishing industry in Ghana.

Oppong Nkrumah said, "The government's vision of transforming the fisheries sector in Ghana is clearly spelled out in the 2016 Nuclear Power Plant Manifesto in Agriculture and Rural Development, on pages 18 and 19 … fishing will be the program of construction of landing sites and storage facilities ".

Advantages

According to the minister, "the development of fish landing sites and ports aims to ensure the safe launching and landing of small-scale fishing and canoes, in particular".

He added that "the goal is also to create and maintain a hygienic environment for the processing and handling of fish".

He said ports and landing sites would help prevent and minimize post-harvest losses. In addition, the sites would contribute to adding value to fish caught by artisbad fishermen.

The fisheries sector, said the minister, plays a major role in Ghana's national economy.

It revealed that it accounted for about 3% of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). In addition, his indirect contributions to the economy are considerable.

The Minister added that "this includes employment opportunities for offshore fishermen, shipyards, ancillary goods suppliers, services, etc. and the export of fishery products for earn foreign currency for the country. "

He observed "it is estimated that up to 12% of the national fish product is exported. The completion of this project is expected to increase export volumes and directly increase the country's foreign exchange earnings. "