The chiefs and people of New Takoradi, a fishing community near Takoradi have accused the Minister for Transport, Mrs. Dzifa Attivor, of putting premium on the Takoradi Port Expansion project than the lives of the hundreds of fishermen whose livelihood are being destroyed.

The accusation by the Chiefs and the people of the fishing community was after the sector Minister visited the site of the Port expansion project but failed to notice the damning effect the expansion was wreaking on the local fishing business, though the people have raised red flag about the project.

The project itself is meant to reclaim portions of the New-Takoradi beach to create more space for the expansion of the Takoradi Port. It is also expected to boost employment opportunities for the fishermen, fishmongers and the youth in the area.

Though the project is still underway, it has already started causing massive erosion and destroying the landing beach site in the community. Apart from the erosion, it has also become extremely complicated for the local fishermen to have their canoes berth at the landing beach.

Dissatisfied with the trend, the chiefs and people sent a petition to the management of the Port to have a second look at the project, which was eventually published by The Chronicle.

Surprisingly, when the Sector Minister visited the Port, she failed to have a field trip to the landing beach site of the community, where the expansion project, according to the people, was having a dire consequence on their fishing occupation.

It is as a result of this that the chiefs and people have expressed shock at the conduct of the Minister, for failing to have a first-hand account on how the expansion project was affecting them. The elected Assembly Member of the area, Mr. Emmanuel Adoko, told The Chronicle that he was extremely shocked over the Minister’s failure to visit them and also know their plight.

According to him, when they (chiefs and people) heard about the arrival of the Minister at the Port, they were expecting that she would come to inspect the landing beach, which was at the receiving end of the expansion work at the port project, but that did not happen.

Adoko told this reporter that the conduct of the Minister meant that she had placed premium on the project, more than the lives of the local people and their trade.

The Assembly Member also told this reporter that a scheduled meeting with the management of the Takoradi Port to discuss the effect of the expansion project on their fishing business could not come off last week as scheduled.

The proposed meeting was to discuss the petition sent to the management of the Port by the community. In the said petition, the locals had asked the management of the Pot to build a new landing beach site and a slipway for the community.

That apart, the Port should also build a mechanical shop for the fishermen to repair their canoes and as well build a vocational school as a compensation for wreaking their business as a result of the expansion port project.

Meanwhile Madam Ativor has commended the contractors undertaking the expansion works at the Port. The Minister said she was impressed by the effort of GPHA to source more funding for the phase two of the project.

The Minister was accompanied by a team including the deputy Minister for Transport, Mrs. Joyce Bawa Motgari and chief Director of the Ministry, Mr. T.A Selby.