Construction work is set to begin on the US$330 million Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project also known as the Boankra Inland Port Project, which has been on the drawing board for some 18 years.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo said, “in view of its considerable socio-economic potential, this project was one of the pledges made in the NPP’s 2016 Manifesto, with the commitment to ensuring that it saw the light of day.”
He said on it was thus, heart-warming that after 18 years since the conception of this project, “work is now set to begin after the conclusion of all financial, contractual, legal, parliamentary and regulatory matters and approvals. The project period is three years.”
President Akufo-Addo, who broke ground for construction works to begin on the Port Thursday, November 5, 2020, explained that the Boankra Inland Port project has been initiated to provide service to importers and exporters in the middle and northern parts of the country.
It will also act as a major conduit for the efficient transportation of transit traffic to and from the Country’s neighbouring landlocked countries—Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
When completed, the port terminal will be fitted with an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and non-bonded estates, commercial areas such as banks, offices and trading facilities, vehicle parking areas, light industrial areas, as well as an administration complex.
The Project will also offer significant employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labour during the two phases of construction and operation. Beyond the creation of jobs, there are other ancillary small and medium scale businesses that will be located within the enclave to support the operations of the Terminal.
“It is noteworthy that the transformation of the Ghanaian economy, from a raw material producing and exporting one to an industrialised one, will be given a huge impetus with the coming on stream of this facility. The government’s commitment to establishing the economy of Ghana on a solid path of industrialisation, with the view to delivering a vision of self-reliance, development and prosperity for all, is unwavering,” he added.
The Concessionaire, Ashanti Ports Services Limited—a joint venture of Afum Quality Limited of Ghana and DSS Associates of the Republic of Korea—according to President Akufo-Addo, is committed to investing $330 million for the realisation of the project.
Additionally, the Concessionaire is expected to design, engineer, finance, procure, construct, operate, and maintain the project, and transfer title to the Government of Ghana after 30 years.
“It is my hope and expectation that the Concessionaire will not renege on the confidence reposed in it, and will take all the necessary actions to deliver the project on schedule and budget,” he added.
One of the success stories of the Africa economic integration agenda is the coming into force of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
The objective of the AfCFTA is to promote trade among African countries, with the President stressing that “this will be buoyed by the presence of an effective and efficient transport system, especially as Ghana is playing host to the Secretariat”.
President Akufo-Addo was hopeful that “this project and other similar infrastructure projects, such as the development of the Keta Port, the Tema-Akosombo Railway Line, and the ongoing port expansion projects at Tema and Takoradi Ports, would make a positive contribution in ensuring that Ghana derives maximum benefits from the AfCFTA.”
Rex Mainoo Yeboah, ISD
