The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has commissioned 15 gantries for Meridian Port Services (MPS), at a cost of $50 million at the Tema Port.
The President also laid the foundation stone for the commencement of work for the second phase of the Tema Port expansion project, which would increase its capacity from the current one million square metres to 1,270,000 square metres.
In his address at the commissioning on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 in Tema, President Akufo-Addo said that the MPS Terminal 3 project was a good example of a logistic platform that would bring the vision of becoming a leading exporter of agricultural produce to fruition.
According to him, investing in critical port infrastructure provided the foundation for industry to create jobs and foster the export-driven economy the country sought to build.
He stressed his government’s commitment to enhancing the business environment for investors, adding that it was imprudent for a country like Ghana to continue to be an import-driven and dependent economy despite having the capacity to be self-reliant and create jobs.
“I want to assure you that there is a government in place that believes in the primacy of the private sector and is working to enhance the prospects of a win-win environment for both the private sector and the country,” he said.
AFCFTA
President Akufo-Addo noted that the emergence of the Africa Continental Free Trade Area represented a historic opportunity for Africa to immeasurably strengthen inter-African trade as a powerful avenue for developing Africa’s economic and material potential.
“A successful AfCFTA will mean that Africa’s industrial exports will be diversified, thus moving away from undue reliance on extractive commodities and foreign imports,” he stated.
LOGISTICS
According to the President, continuous investment in a modernised, robust logistics chain infrastructure is one of the surest ways to catapult the country into becoming the world’s leading exporter of agricultural produce.
He observed that the country was yet to assert itself as one of the leading exporters of agricultural produce due to a lack of robust chain infrastructure.
He acknowledged that this has happened despite the huge potential in the area of agriculture due to favourable weather conditions, ample water supply, and fertile lands.
“I believe firmly that Ghana has the potential to become the world’s leading exporter of agricultural produce, thanks in part to favourable weather conditions, ample water supply, and fertile land. However, what we have lacked over the years is a modernised, robust logistic chain infrastructure required to help realise this potential,” the President noted.
COMPETITIVE
The Chief Executive Officer of MPS, Mohammed Samara, opined that after completion, the expansion works would position the Tema Port to be competitive with the world’s most renowned ports.
He held the firm belief that, post-upgrade, with MPS’ geographical advantage, Tema Port will assert itself as the maritime hub for trade along the West Coast of Africa.
“Our new port facility will possess the capability to efficiently handle some of the largest container vessels, ships carrying over 18,000 TEUs,” he added.
He explained that the project would be executed in collaboration with AECOM, EIFFAGE, De Simone Ltd., Key Architects and CONSAR Ltd.
The CEO said the construction would be carried out in phases and anticipated to be completed by the end of 2025, with the first section slated for handover to the operations team by July 2024.
