Keta Port project will not damage environment — Asiedu Nketiah

The proposed Keta Port Development Project would be carried out with utmost consideration for the well-being of the environment.

The port project, to be cited at Kedzi, by its design would rather stop the incessant erosion of the land by the sea and keep the environment intact.

The Board Chairman of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GHAPOHA), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, stressed this at a public forum on the project in Keta last Thursday.

The forum, organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with GHAPOHA, was aimed at providing a platform to gather insights for guiding the decision-making process on the project.

Among the participants were traditional leaders, various stakeholders and members of the public.

Benefit

The Board Chairman of GHAPOHA said the huge infrastructural undertaking was meant to serve the people, respect the environment and drive long-term prosperity.

“The government is committed to building a resilient transport and logistics sector that can anchor our economic competitiveness, and the Keta Port forms an integral part of this commitment, envisioned as the Eastern Port of Ghana, strategically complementing the operations of the Port of Tema and the Port of Takoradi,” he affirmed.

Mr Nketiah said once completed, the Keta Port would open new trade corridors linking Ghana with Togo, Benin and Nigeria, and create thousands of direct and indirect jobs for the youth.

It would also spur industrial and commercial activities within the Volta Region and enhance Ghana’s position as a maritime gateway in West Africa.

However, Mr Nketiah said economic progress must never come at the expense of social and environmental integrity.

He stated that in the interest of democracy, inclusivity, transparency and accountability, the forum was being held so that concerns and suggestions raised would help to refine the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) and a collective approach to the implementation of the project.

Mr Nketiah said the GHAPOHA board was committed to protecting the rights and livelihoods of persons affected by the project by taking the appropriate steps to ensure local communities benefitted equitably from opportunities created by the port.

“The Keta Port is not just about ships and cargo. It is about people —the people of Keta, the Volta Region and Ghana as a whole.

“It is about sustainable transformation, rooted in equity and shared prosperity,” he told the gathering.

Environment

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EPA, Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, earlier said the authority was committed to protecting the environment while promoting sustainable development.

She said the authority would ensure that development within the locality aligned with sound environmental management practices.