Explore public-private partnerships to revamp Tema Shipyard, Drydock — Transport Minister
The Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, has charged the newly constituted board of the Tema Shipyard and Drydock to explore both public and private partnerships to inject the necessary capital and technical expertise to retool and revamp the facility.
He said that, as the main gateway for international trade, with overwhelming effect and the potential to boost economic growth and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Ghana’s ports and associated infrastructure must be engineered and positioned to play the needed supportive role in the enterprise.
Mr Nikpe, who was speaking after inaugurating the newly constituted nine-member board of directors of the Tema Shipyard and Drydock last Friday, said revamping the facility would also support the vision of establishing Ghana as a transport hub, while creating jobs and equal opportunities for the people within the entire transport and logistics value chain as support of the 24-Hour Economic Policy.
Board of directors
The members of the board are: Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, Chairman; Alhaji Osman Sulemana, Millicent Wutsika, Mahama Adam Jandah and Samuel Bavug Wusah, all members.
The rest are: Kofi A. Asmah, Abubakari Muaz Zemoli, Obed Koah Opintan and Albert Derrick Fiatui.
The Minister of Transport, who led the board to swear the oath of office, allegiance and secrecy, also urged them to identify and address bottlenecks that have hindered the shipyard's ability to compete on a global scale.
“You are assuming office at a time when the shipyard requires bold leadership and innovative thinking; therefore, strategically revitalise the facility by modernising the shipyard’s infrastructure and equipment. Ensure transparency, accountability and the highest standards of ethics in all operations,” he said.
Mr Bukari, however, cautioned the board against either covertly or overtly taking over the day-to-day management of the shipyard, stressing the need to work collaboratively with management in line with good governance principles.
“Mr chairman, under the governance framework, the board is under the supervision of the Ministry of Transport and reports directly to it. Under no circumstance should the board deal with other authorities above the ministry without due consultation,” he cautioned, saying the ministry remained committed to providing the necessary policy guidance and support to ensure the shipyard thrived.
Facilities
He observed that the facility’s location and scale of infrastructure made it one of the largest ship repair and dry-docking centres in the sub-region.
He added that for Ghana to fully harness the potential of its blue economy resources, its maritime infrastructure must be developed to be world-class, efficient and commercially viable.
Given the potential of the facility to create jobs for the youth of Ghana, the Transport Minister said the aim was also to collaborate with the private sector to establish technical schools to develop skills in shipbuilding and repair to equip Ghanaians with the needed skills for the industry.
That, he explained, would increase the participation of Ghanaian technicians in the maritime value chain, pointing out that the potential to leverage the facility to provide essential building, repair and fabrication services to the oil and gas industry could not be overemphasised.
The chairman of the board, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed appreciation to President John Mahama and Mr Nikpe for the trust and confidence reposed in them to help change the fortunes of the Tema Shipyard and Drydock.
He assured them that they would work assiduously with management and staff to move the institution forward.
