The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on Saturday, 3rd September 2022, inspected ongoing work on the construction of the Elmina Fishing Harbour, as part of his 2-day working visit to the Central Region.
The 30-month project commenced on 1st August 2020 following the cutting of the sod by President Akufo-Addo.
The Minister for Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, told President Akufo-Addo that the project is currently 91% complete, following the completion of the construction of the south breakwater, the north breakwater, sheet-piling, dredging, scour and plowing, and reclamation works.
The Minister revealed that, currently, civil-related infrastructure works including buildings, pavement works, roads, and stormwater constructions are ongoing and will be completed on schedule.
The Elmina Fishing Port Rehabilitation and Expansion Project aim at constructing adequate facilities, and berthing space, and create deep marine access to ensure the durability of the Elmina harbour.
Furthermore, the Project will strengthen Elmina’s position in the fishing and salt industries and place the city at the heart of the cultural ambitions of the Akufo-Addo Government, making Elmina one of the most dynamic coastal cities in Ghana.
In all, the Project will, first, see to upgrading existing facilities such as the administration building, the slipways, the workshop, and the maintenance dredging of the existing Port.
Secondly, the Project will also include the construction of a new fishing harbour, with the main breakwater and a quay wall to enable larger fishing vessels to safely moor and offload, a dedicated access road to the Port, and a warehouse for storage.
Other new works include the construction of an additional administrative building; a shed for the fish market; a shed for fishing net mending; two (2) Cold Stores/ Ice factories; a new slipway for bigger vessels with a boat refurbishment area; a toilet block; and a daycare center.
The Project will also provide beach and coastal protection works, as well as restoration of the area in front of the Elmina Castle, to enhance tourism.
President Akufo-Addo, earlier on Friday, commissioned two factories operating under Government’s One-District-One-Factory initiative.
President Akufo-Addo’s first port of call was the APPED Cylinder Factory, which is currently employing some two hundred and fifty (250) people and is expected to employ some five hundred (500) people at full capacity.
The company was established in January 2019 to participate in Government’s flagship industrialization program. Indeed, construction started in 2019 and was completed in the year 2021 with the commencement of commercial production and operations in the month of December the same year.
APPEB Company is the largest Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cylinder manufacturer in Ghana, in terms of production capacity with an installed capacity of 4,000 to 5,000 (6kg /15kg) gas cylinders per day. The current production capacity is about 2000 cylinders per day due to the current market demand. The company imports mild steel from China as the main raw material for production.
Speaking at the event, the President reiterated Government’s continued commitment to providing strategic support to companies and enterprises, such as APPEB, operating in Ghana.
He encouraged the proprietors and management of APPEB Cylinder Manufacturing Ltd to take further advantage of this package, and establish similar industrial enterprises in other parts of the country.
The next stop was the Rikpat Company Limited, which is an indigenous Ghanaian company with a total investment of $8 million and has the capacity to produce 350 metric tons per day wide range of lubricants for both automotive and industrial usage. The broad range of product offerings of Rikpat includes Engine oils of different grades, Brake fluids, Industrial oils, Greases, and Radiator coolants for both local and foreign markets.
