The youth and chiefs of Elmina in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality in the Central Region have made a clarion appeal to the government and the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GHAPOHA) to allow 'Yehowah Adom' Company Limited, a local contractor at the area to proceed with its dredging of the Elmina Fishing Harbour.
This comes after the company was allegedly asked to halt work due to disagreement with authorities at the Fisheries Ministry over speculations that an official contract has been awarded to have a new company execute the dredging of the fishing harbour which the local contractor (Yehowah Adom Company Limited) has over a month now been working on, out of its own resources.
Meanwhile, the Elmina fishing harbour has lately recorded close to six (6) vessel accidents as a result of sand stuck in the harbour due to silt buildup, which has narrowed the entrance, exposed rocks, and made navigation dangerous, leading to many fatal injuries.
The problem has become so severe that larger vessels have trouble accessing the harbour, as fishermen demands urgent and regular dredging of the facility to fix the issue coupled with its impeding dangers, since the lack of dredging increases the risk of accidents, damages vessels, and negatively impacts the area's local economy.
The community is backing the local contractor, stating that the undertaken project is expected to boost economic activities and create job for youths of Elmina, should Yehowah Adom Company Limited be given the requisite state support needed for the work.
Youths of Elmina in expressing their displeasure over the situation, justified that the new contractor awarded to dredge the Elmina Fishing Harbour, aside the fact that the company appears unknown to them, will definitely come with its own workers which will leave them with little or no consideration to be recruited for the work, as happened during construction of the fishing harbour by the Chinese contractors awarded to construct the harbour.
However, information gather by Sompa TV's Eric Annan suggest that the Edina Traditional Council together with the Municipal Chief Executive for KEEA has offered their unflinching support behind the local contractor (Yehowah Adom Company Limited) to execute the work it has already started some 5 weeks ago which has garnered positive feedback from fishermen of the area, considering the quality of work being done.
Chief Fisherman for Edina Mpobin, Nana Kojo Yaw, recounted to the media the positive effects currently witnessed on the harbour, all thanks to the work of the local contractor's ongoing dredging of the fishing harbour, having underscored how bad vessels use to suffer when accessing the harbour.
He then beseeched the Edina Traditional Council and other relevant stakeholders to rally behind the company and its CEO, Justice Ato Kwamena to encourage him and other well meaning citizenry of Elmina to work to seek the transformation of the fishing community.
Supervisory Engineer for the project, Engineer Bennett King, also pleaded on government and the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority to offer the company the needed documentation, equipments and advisory support to enable then execute the project to perfection.
Sompaonline.com//Eric Annan