The Minister of Transport, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has directed the management of the Takoradi office of the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) in the Western Region to come out with a proposal for the construction of a new office complex befitting the status of a maritime authority in the region.
To that end, he has directed the management of the authority to look for a parcel of land in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis that can be developed into an infrastructural edifice for the GMA as soon as possible.
Mr Asiamah gave the directive when he interacted with the management and staff of the GMA as part of his two-day familiarisation tour of the various sectors under the ministry in the region.
The directive by the minister followed a submission by the Director-General of the GMA, Dr Peter Issaka Azumah, to the effect that the relatively few staff members at the Takoradi GMA office worked under stressed conditions with respect to space.
He had also told the minister that out of the total 13 officers, there were only two technical persons undertaking marine work, including patrol security audit and management duties.
Technical staff
The minister admitted that it was woefully inadequate for only two technical staff members to be undertaking such duties and, therefore, urged the management to put up a strategic plan to make the sector play its major role.
The first port of call by the minister, who was accompanied by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Mr T. A. Selby, and other officials, was the Takoradi Port under the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), where he was met by the Director, Capt. Ebenezer Afadzi, and key management staff.
The port director briefed the minister about the operations at the port before conducting him round to inspect ongoing projects under the Takoradi Port Expansion Development programme, as well as other private investors at the port.
The respective managers at the various units and locations, such as the General Electricals, Oil and Gas, Goil Tank Farmer, Vikings Offshore, LPG Distribution Point and Bulk Jetty took turns to brief the minister about their operations.
He, for his part, urged the management to ensure that more local people were employed to fulfil the local content clause of providing jobs for the community members.
First-hand knowledge
According to Mr Asiamah, the visit was to enable him to know at first hand the various sectors under the ministry and become acquainted with their operations before he begins work.
“Takoradi is a major area as far as the sectors of my assigned ministry are concerned, hence my decision to come here first to pick your inputs and incorporate your respective operations into the master plan of the ministry,” Mr Asiamah mentioned.
Among the areas the minister visited were the Takoradi Container Terminal, the Albert Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbour, the Ghana Shippers Authority, the State Transport Company (STC) and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
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