The Ghana Free Zones Authority (GFZA) has secured some ¢21.5 million in grants to enhance the water and sewage systems at the Tema Export Processing Zone.

The grant, provided by the Facility Investing for Employment (IFE) on behalf of the KfW Development Bank and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Co-operation and Development seeks to meet the current water demand of 7,512 m³ /day for industrial companies located in the industrial park.

The grant will specifically be used for the construction of a new water storage facility composed of a 6,800 m³ underground tank and a 2,273 m³ overhead tank as well as a pumping station.

 The total cost of the project is estimated at GH¢23.9 million, with the IFE contributing 90% of the cost and the GFZA contributing the remaining 10%, cost of GH¢2.39 million.

 Speaking during the grant signing ceremony on November 17, 2023 between the GFZA and IFE, Chief Executive Officer of the GFZA, Ambassador Mike Ocquye Jnr. noted that the construction of the new water and sewage system is expected to create some 1,500 direct jobs and 6,000 indirect jobs.

He further indicated that, aside from the Tema Export Processing Zone, there are other four industrial zones in the country under the supervision of the GFZA that also have some infrastructural challenges.

"The GFZA would be glad to receive continuous support from the IFE to tackle these infrastructural challenges at the other four industrial zones," he remarked.

 The Managing Director for IFE, Steffen Kuhl on his part expressed the IFE’s commitment to ensuring the successful completion of the water and sewage system at the Tema Export Processing Zone (TEPZ) and the provision of more grants to Ghana for various projects.

Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, Michael Okyere Baafi also expressed gratitude to the IFE for the grant support to the Authority.

The new water project by IFE is intended to expand the water storage facility within TEPZ by replicating the existing facility.

The project will see the construction of a 1.5-million-gallon (6,800 m3) ground-level tank, a 500,00-gallon (2,273 m3) elevated tank to serve as a distribution medium, and a pump house (including the installation of an electromechanical component).

Currently, the Tema Free Zones Enclave is served by a ground-level tank (reservoir) of 6,800 m3 (1.5 million gallons), which pumps water into a high-level tank of 2,273 m3 (500,000 gallons).