Ghana’s Minister of Transport, The Honourable Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has mandated the revamp of the Tema Shipyard to better support the maritime industry and by extension drive the energy sector and job creation for the local economy. Not only is Ghana’s government prioritising the expansion of its ports but it also aims to fully automate the process of clearing goods and vehicles to ultimately reduce overall port charges and fees. In response to the ongoing expansion and development of Ghana’s transport sector, the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GPHA) has also recently signed a contract for a project valued at $ 370 million for the construction of a container terminal at the Port of Takoradi.
It is against this backdrop of dynamic transport infrastructure development that Ghana gears up to host the African Ports Evolution – West Africa initiative to support the region’s roadmap for the integration of future-proofed expansion solutions and the optimisation of multi-modal maritime infrastructure development.
African Ports Evolution Forum – West Africa edition, taking place at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra this September, unites the region’s pioneers at the helm of maritime development to form partnerships towards corridor development, ports expansion and efficient connectivity.
Supported by the Ghana Ports & Harbour Authority as well as the Ports Management Association of Western and Central Africa, African Ports Evolution West Africa hosts the Honourable Kwaku Ofori Asiamah who will be there as a keynote speaker to address ports authorities in attendance from across the region.
Senior officials from the national ports authorities of Cote d’Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Guinea, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone have all confirmed participation as the region places renewed emphasis on regional collaboration for transport infrastructure development.
Hien Sie, Director General of the Port Autonome d’Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire, will share progress made on the double task of rehabilitating the foundations of the Port Autonome d’Abidjan and projecting it into the future to create one of the largest hub ports in Africa.
Alpha Kaba, Civil Administrator & Economic Advisor from the Port of Conakry in the Republic of Guinea, will discuss his port’s $770 million upgrade contract underway and how its completion will propel the autonomous port of Conakry towards becoming the largest port in the West African sub-region.
Hadiza Bala Usman, Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), will share best practices in procurement for various projects under NPA’s proposed 2017 Capital and Recurrent Budget that includes maintenance, rehabilitation and construction projects.
A.B Bangura, General Manager of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority, is scheduled to provide updates on the ongoing extension works of the container terminal at the Port of Freetown.
Sponsored by Ghana Community Network Services Ltd, Red Sea Maritime, Ares Prism and Southeast Company & Support Services Ltd (SCSS), this initiative serves as a catalyst for West Africa’s transport infrastructure development by convening the cardinal leaders who make critical decisions about the capital projects that propel economic growth for the region.
