Ghana to build third port?

The country’s official news agency GNA, reported that Richard Anamoo said that the port is needed to boost trade and to promote the socio-economic growth of the nation, although it’s not yet clear where it would be built.

Mr Anamoo was speaking at a forum held by the GPHA to brief stakeholders on the progress of work on the on-going expansion project at the Takoradi harbour which started in December last year.

In his speech, Mr Anamoo noted that the limited space at the Takoradi port cannot handle the increasing traffic demand in recent maritime trade which is why it has become necessary to re-develop it to meet the modern trends in the maritime industry.

The expansion project, he said, involves the reclamation of part of the sea through dredging, to contain bigger vessels to facilitate the turnaround business, revamping of access roads and rail lines, creation of space to the oil and gas sector and creation of space got free zones among other projects.

Work should begin in December this year at a cost of US$19m.

With traffic increasing daily, land-locked countries in the sub-region, like Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali are exploring for space for transit trade, which may just help to bolster Ghana’s burgeoning container trade.

Ghana’s first port was built in Takoradi, and the second in Tema in 1962.