The Ministry of Transport has indicated that the construction of the Elmina Fishing Harbour falls within the coordinates of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority and an enclave to which Cape Coast belongs.

According to him, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority names ports according to their coordinates and building the harbour at Elmina will serve the people of Elmina, Cape Coast and the people of the Central Region.

Speaking in an interview with JoyNews, after inspecting the Elmina Fishing Harbour project, the Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, intimated that the president promised a harbour and it’s that harbour that's being built.

The minister said that according to the coordinates in the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority's master plan, Elmina is the most plausible location for the harbour to be located.

“In our GPHA master plan, we name ports according to our coordinates, and so if we say we will build a harbor in Cape Coast, building it at Elmina is part of an enclave to which Cape Coast belongs. The most important thing is that the president promised to build the harbour and he’s building it.

He continued by saying that there should not be much concern about the location of the harbor because, once it is finished, it will serve not only the residents of Elmina but also those of Cape Coast and all other areas of the Central Region.

Kwaku Ofori Asiamah expressed satisfaction with the rate of work currently ongoing at the site.

"The level and quality of the construction being done really impresses me. The contractors tell me that the project is about 89% finished, and they are confident that it will be finished by January 2023.

He ordered the refurbishment and inclusion of the Elmina fish processing plant into the Elmina Fishing Harbour project, adding that the Elmina Fishing Harbour being built will be incomplete if the fish processing plant is not operational and incorporated.

The 11.6-million-dollar fish processing plant, which was commissioned in 2016, has not been operational but has been reduced to the molding of only iced blocks.

He stated, “We cannot have this facility fully functioning without the fish processing plant." We decided not to include the fish processing plant in the new construction due to the fact that it already exists. Therefore, we must maintain it and repair it if there is a problem.

He asked the directors at the Ministry of Transport to liaise with the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development for an assessment to be done in order for it to be incorporated into the plan.

The contractor for the project, Wim Van Hoof, explained the work done so far by Bellsea Ltd Ghana.

He said, “It is called the Elmina Fishing Harbour Rehabilitation Project. Before we began this project, there were two breakwaters and we have worked on them. We have also done a huge reclamation of land from the sea. By January 2023, when we expect to be 90% finished, we will have finished the project and turned it over to the ministry.

The 105 million euro project is expected to help shore up the fishing businesses of the people of Elmina, Cape Coast, and the Central Region.