Tema, May 5, GNA - Basic infrastructural facilities at the Boankrah Inland Port project in the Ashanti Region is 99 percent complete, Mr Emmanuel Martey, Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Shippers Council (GSC) said at Tema on Tuesday. He said the Ghana Shippers Council, together with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), operators of the port project, are providing facilities such as electricity, water, telecommunication system, road network and the administrative block.

The Deputy CEO was presenting a paper on the topic "Who is a Shipper?; The GSC's Role in the Promotion and Protection of the Shipper's Interest", at a day's seminar organized by the Ghana Shippers Council for journalists in Tema. He said the inland project is still ongoing and the two organizations are looking for an investor who will build, operate and transfer (BOT) to the prospective investors to operate.

The Boankrah Port Project Mr Martey said, would have a "one stop" point for all trade regulations, where research work and all trade activities would take place to ensure the facilitation of business and boost the economy. In his presentation on the "overview of the maritime industry in Ghana", Mr Kofi Mbiah, Chief Executive Officer of GSC called on all stakeholders to complement each other's effort to properly develop the maritime industry.

Mr Mbiah stressed the need for harmonization and integration of the industry, as it is the engine of the country's economic and developmental growth. He indicated that both importers and exporters use the industry as a major source of transportation to get their products to their consumers around the world.

Mrs Naa Densua Aryeetey, Tema Branch Manager of the GSC said the Council was appreciative of the role played by journalists in the country. She said the GSC organized the seminar to help journalists to be conversant with the technical points involved in the industry, to help them report accurately. She referred to shipping as the servant of trade, which is international and dynamic, noting that, it would be difficult to have a successful transaction without a clear understanding of its terms and terminologies.

Other resource persons included Mr Ntow Kummi, Tema Port Coordinator, Mrs Perpetual Osei-Bonsu, Executive Secretary of the Shipping Agents Association and David Nutakor, a Freight Forwarder. They all stressed on the importance of the maritime industry and the functions of the various maritime sections, whose activities are interrelated and contribute immensely towards boosting the growth of the economy. They spoke on topics such as "the port as a link in the transport chain, "the shipping agent and the shipping line in the supply chain', and the 'freight forwarder as a logistics provider". Ms Kate Hudson, chairperson of Tema branch of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) called on the journalists to endeavour to upgrade their knowledge in the maritime industry to help them report adequately.