The Transport Minister, Kweku Ofori Asiamah has indicated that the first tranche of funding has been secured for the construction of the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT) previously called Boankra Inland Port.
He also admits that physical construction will begin soon despite early challenges associated with the procurement processes.
“The Boankra Project will not only will this project aid trade in the middle belt, but it would facilitate the creation of an industrial hub around the Boankra area,” he added in his overview of the sector on GPHA’s Eye on Port.
The BILT infrastructure would link the ports of Tema and Takoradi to the inner parts of the country and the landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
It is expected to be a free port that would combine unimodal and inter-modal operations aimed at easing congestion at Ghana’s seaports thus facilitating the transit trade of Ghana’s land-locked neighbours.
The project will host specialised warehouses for the storage of cocoa beans and grains, in addition to warehouses for the storage of petroleum and petrochemical products, cement and other bulk cargo.
It is also expected to promote technology and skills transfer to strengthen the local resource stock needed for the country’s development, and will create 3,000 direct and over 60,000 indirect jobs for Ghanaians.