Accra, May 2, GNA - Work has started on the rehabilitation of the old James Town Fishing Harbour to provide technical and commercial support to existing fishing activities.

The harbour would house a fish market, cold storage units - blast freezer, ice plants- nursery centre, entertainment and business centres and other facilities required to transform the place into a vibrant economic centre.

Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and Diaspora Relations, who cut the sod for the rehabilitation to begin, called for support from the indigenous people to make the project a success. "You are in partnership with the Government in the development of the area for the benefit of your people and Ghana as a whole," the Minister said.

He said 4.5 billion cedis had been released to prepare the place for the first phase of the project, which would include hotels, restaurants and developing other tourist activities along the coast. Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey urged private investors to invest in the fishing and tourism industries as they promised great economic gains in the near future.

"People will visit this place, enjoy the place and leave money in the pockets of the local people if the place is properly developed and thus replacing the poverty which surrounds you with wealth," he said. The Minister noted that the dilapidated building was evidence of the poverty in the area although many years ago the professional and wealthy Gas came from the very place.

"If you want to harvest corn, you must first plant corn; if you want to harvest money you should plant money."

Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Fisheries, noted that the fisheries sector of the economy had so much potential that needed to be exploited to create employment, improve nutrition and fish food security. The Government, she said, was in the process of signing an agreement with a Dutch company to replace the wooden canoes with fibreglass to make fishing easier.

"Six of these canoes will be brought to the country to test our waters. If this proves suitable, others will be built here in Ghana," she said.

Mrs Asmah announced the introduction of a work-and-pay tool scheme; micro-credit facility to fishmongers and aquaculture development to improve on the standard of living within fishing communities. "Ten outboard motors have already been given to the fishers in this community. We are waiting for 50 per cent of the amount to be paid back and then 20 more would be given."

Mr Stanley Adjiri Blankson, Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), who spoke about the history of the James Town fishing community, said the Dutch Embassy and the Municipal Council of Amsterdam were ready to commit more than 80,000 Euros for the project to take-off.

"The Municipality of Amsterdam and Dutch Embassy have shown interest in the harbour rehabilitation project which forms part of the 2015 Old Accra Strategy."

The strategy, he said, was to package development interventions with the intention of involving stakeholders and beneficiaries in all aspects of Ga Mashie.

Mr Blankson said it was the policy of the city authority to put the private sector in the centre of Ga Mashie redevelopment. Nii Tackie Commey, Member of Parliament for the area, pledged his support for the programme and said he would join hands in ensuring the success of the project. 2 May 06