The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers’ Authority (GSA), Prof. Ransford Gyampo, has appealed to His Royal Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to maintain his support for the long-delayed Boankra Integrated Inland Port and continue pressing government to provide the necessary backing to bring the project to fruition.
Prof. Gyampo made the appeal when the Governing Board of the GSA, led by Chairman Mike Hammah, paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene at the Manhyia Palace on Friday.
During the visit, he introduced the new Board to the Asantehene and provided an opportunity to discuss strategic issues affecting Ghana’s trade sector.
He noted that completing at least the first phase of the Boankra Project would be an important intervention for improving inland cargo movement, reducing congestion on the country’s road transport network, and enhancing Ghana’s role as a transit trade hub.
In his response, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II welcomed the delegation and urged the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) to revive earlier arrangements to support the Shippers’ Authority with funding.
He suggested that such support could be structured into equity shares in the project, ensuring both institutions benefit from its eventual success.
The Asantehene cautioned that failure to complete the project would result in significant financial losses to the state, given the resources already invested.
He pledged to continue engaging government to secure the necessary directives for funding, stating the project’s potential to reduce road traffic pressure, create employment, and facilitate transit trade.
The Boankra Project, when fully operational, is expected to provide an important inland logistics platform for cargo movement, particularly for transit trade, while creating new opportunities for businesses along the logistics chain.
