Boankra Inland Port Project: First phase 40% complete
About 40 per cent of work has so far been executed on the first phase of the $308 million Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT), popularly known as the Boankra Inland Port, at Boankra in the Ejisu Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
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JUSTMOH Construction Limited, the contractor of the project, which started on October 10, 2022, has expressed optimism of meeting the extended deadline of September 2026.
Working visit
“Currently, 40 per cent of the first phase of the project is completed and we are optimistic of meeting the extended deadline”, Dr John Bernard Koranteng Yorke, the Project Manager of JUSTMOH, told members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport when they inspected progress of work at the Terminal last Wednesday.
When the team visited the site, the contractor had almost completed the filling of the terminal and was applying bitumen on the surface of the 12.2-kilometre road network within the terminal.
Dr Yorke said the portion left to be filled was where the ‘Penama Stream’ passed on the stretch, and that it was currently constructing a bridge to channel the water course after which it would complete the entire paving of the terminal.
Expectations
The project, covering a total area of 413 acres, includes an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and unbonded estates, commercial areas such as banks, offices and trading facilities, vehicle parking and light industrial areas, and an administration block complex.
When completed, the project will provide services for importers and exporters in the middle and the northern parts of the country and also act as a major conduit for the efficient transportation of transit traffic to and from neighbouring landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
Satisfaction and appeal
The Chairman of the Committee, Kennedy Osei Nyarko, said the visit was for the Committee to acquaint itself with the progress of work and help address challenges facing the contractor in executing the much-anticipated project.
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He said the committee’s mandate was to assist the ministries of Transport, Aviation, Roads and Highways, and all agencies and departments working under them to discharge their duties well.
He expressed satisfaction about the progress of work on the terminal and seized the opportunity to advocate for the contractor — who is yet to receive payment for work done since November last year — to be paid to ensure the project’s completion on schedule.
“We are appealing to the Ministry of Transport to work towards meeting the financial obligations to the contractor”, he said.
Commitment
On his part, the CEO of JUSTMOH, Dr Justice Amoh, assured all of his commitment towards the realisation of the project.
“As contractors, we see this project as a national asset and a viable project. With the help of our bankers we have stayed on site executing the project”, he said, and pleaded with members of the committee to use their influence to ensure the release of the funds.