The expansion project, funded with a grant aid of 20 million dollars from the Japanese government, is to ease the congestion of vessels at the fishing port.

It includes the construction of additional ice making plant, which will produce about 30 tons of ice blocks daily, for the preservation of fishes, water supply facility and additional lay-by berth, to improve the existing breakwater.

Mr. Eben Kojo Afadzi, Director of the Sekondi-Takoradi port, said the project, when completed, would increase the number of vessels from 50 to 123 as well as the fishing inshore vessels that visit the port.

He explained that the expansion of the fishing facility had become very necessary due to the increasing number of vessels from coastal areas which use the facility as their landing site.

Mr. Tomonari Takeuchi, a representative from the office of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Ghana, said the number of registered vessels that visit the facility had doubled with the number of vessels expected to use the port to increase further hence the need for the expansion.

“The harbour is used heavily exceeding the original capacity of the facility due to the lack of functioning of fishing harbor facilities which has resulted in the congestion of all the areas of port,” he said.

“For Instance, the ice making plant was not able to cater for the increasing ice demand thus making it difficult for the fishermen to preserve their product hence, the need for additional one,” he added.

Mr. Takeuchi commended the Ghana Port and Harbor Authority (GPHA) for their cooperation towards the construction of the project and how good they have  maintain the facilities constructed during the first phase.

Mr. Masa Iida, First Secretary at the Japan Embassy in Ghana, was impressed with the level of the on-going work at the port and said the project, when completed, would strengthen the capacity and functions of the port through improvement and promote efficient coastal fishery operations in the country.

From Bernard Benghan, Sekondi