The Albert Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbor in Sekondi, according to the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority, (GPHA), is scheduled to undergo an expansion project in the first week of July this year.
The second phase of the expansion is said to curtail the increasing congestion at the Takoradi Port.
The expansion had already been delayed for two years by the financiers of the harbor, the Japanese government.
The Albert Bosomtwe Sam Fishing Harbor was constructed in 1995, through a 13.5 million dollars Japanese grant for the provision of modern fish landing and handling support facilities and services for inshore boats and large canoes.
The 21 year old harbor covers some 1.4 hectares of land and 12.6 hectares of sea.
It is 15 kilometers from the Takoradi main port. It is equipped with a cold store, an ice making plant, offices, a berthing bay for inshore vessels, a jetty for canoes and a net dry area.
Since its construction, it is estimated to have provided work to over ten thousand persons in Shama, Sekondi–Takoradi and its adjourning fishing communities. But, the 21 year old facility is fast losing grips of the tons of load it receives daily.
Manager of the fishing harbor, Peter Gussie Cudjoe, at a stakeholders meeting noted that “we are going to expand the break water by 15.5 meters in width and 180 meters in length. This will enable the harbor to accommodate more vessels. This will reduce the congestion because some of the vessels will now go to the newly constructed break water.”
Mr. Gussie stated that the face-lift will additional ice plant.
He said “initially, the plant produced 20 tons of blocks per day, but after the expansion, it will be producing an additional 15 tons of blocks, making it 35 tons a day”.
The 2005 Best Fisherman, Andrews Tetteh, welcomed the expansion, but wants it to be managed such that it does not impede the work of fishermen.
He said “already we are having challenges with fish catch, and therefore we don’t want anything to impede our activities.”
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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana