Prez Akufo-Addo makes U-turn on Cape Coast Harbour denial

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has recanted his denial of ever promising his administration would build a fishing harbour in Cape Coast.

Appearing on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo programme Thursday morning and four days after the denial, the President said his denial that the project was promised was a mistake and he needs to apologise to the people of Cape Coast and the Central Region.

President Akufo-Addo is embarking on a tour of the Greater Accra Region and kicked off his engagements with the live studio interview.

“I made a mistake. Let me just confess it, I made a mistake. (You did?) Yea, I made a mistake. I made a mistake,” he told his host Kwami Sefa Kayi, and explained that he usually perused the New Patriotic Party’s electioneering manifesto ahead of his tours and what he recalled seeing was a landing site.

“I saw one page which talks about the landing site but I did not go any further to see…,” he said.

The President while on a similar tour of the Central Region on Monday, October 18, 2021, said during a radio interview that the NPP did not promise a fishing harbour for Cape Coast and that what had been promised was a landing site. He was responding to the question of what may have become of the election promise.

His response however disappointed many including the chiefs.

But after admitting the promise was made however, the President suggested he was convinced a fishing harbour for Cape Coast may not be a realistic project, saying there is need for a lot of rethinking.

"But in any event, even with the mistake I think still, we have to rethink a lot of things. We can’t have a harbour in Elmina… We have a harbour in Elmina which is being developed right now, obviously Takoradi, Elmina, then we have another one projected for Cape Coast before we go further down the road. I think some rethinking has to go on for us to be able to find what is the value for money arrangements, but it was a mistake and I have to apologise to the people of Cape Coast and the Central Region for that mistake, but presidents are human (after all). We are not superman, we make mistakes."