The Jamestown Fishing Harbour Project has been successfully completed and is awaiting formal handing over to the government.
The project, which includes dredging about 100,000 cubic metres of Harbour Basin, construction of hydraulic structures about 1,251 meters, and the construction area of management (office buildings, trading markets, cold storage, processing areas, commercial areas, and other production and supporting facilities making up 12644.11 cubic metres), has been under construction since August 2020.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by the project engineer from the CRCC Harbour and Channel Engineering Bureau Group Limited, a Chinese marine engineering company undertaking the project when the Mayor of Accra accompanied the Ga Mantse, King Tackie Teiko Tsuru, the Regional Minister, and members of the Regional Security Council to inspect the progress of the work.
The Ga Mantse, addressing the media after the tour, expressed gratitude to the government for constructing the harbour and asked for a stakeholder engagement meeting with relevant actors to discuss its ownership and benefits to residents in Accra.
He said since the contractors had a four year maintenance plan before fully handing over the facility to Ghana, residents should be equipped with skills that would help maintain the facility, thereby ensuring a good maintenance culture.
“We plead for the government to equip Ga-Damgbe’s with skills to help maintain this facility when the contractors are no more. The contractor should fix all concerns raised to bring peace and lift the good name of Ga Mashie,” he pointed out.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Hon. Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, attributed the project's success to contributions from key stakeholders, adding that fishing was one of the major vocations in Accra; therefore, he urged the fishermen to adopt best practices and modern fishing methods to sustain the industry.
He assured that the harbour would be under the care and management of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), ensuring security and proper maintenance.
The Regional Minister cautioned residents against open defecation at the harbour, reminding them of sanctions imposed on such illicit behaviours.
“When GPHA takes over fully, security is going to be enforced. It’s a shame that you see young guys openly defecating around the port area. This is a security zone, so if anybody is found doing his own thing, please don’t blame me,” he warned.
The Mayor of Accra, speaking with the media, reiterated the need for the harbour to be maintained and kept at the highest level. According to her, a sanitation court has now been established to punish residents who flout the AMA bylaws and defecate carelessly in the community and the harbour.
“We’re going to make sure that everything here is maintained. As the Regional Minister had said, we are going to put our hands together to make sure that we maintain and keep it at the highest level as it should. We have now opened a sanitation court, so we know that anyone caught defecating around here will be fined and engaged in hard labour to serve as a reminder,” she stated.