President Mahama breaks ground for $137m Takoradi floating dry dock project

President John Dramani Mahama has cut the sod for the construction of a $137 million floating dry dock facility at the Takoradi Port, a project expected to create 430 jobs for Ghanaians and position the country as a major ship repair and maintenance hub in West Africa.

The project, being undertaken under a 25-year concession, is expected to be completed within 18 months and will provide ship repair and maintenance services to vessels operating along the Gulf of Guinea and the wider West African coast.

Speaking at the sod-cutting ceremony, President Mahama said the facility would address a significant gap in the region’s maritime industry, where vessels have traditionally had to travel to Europe or Durban in South Africa for major repairs and maintenance.

“I know that on the whole of the West Coast, actually the Gulf Coast, there is no major ship repair facility,” he said.

The President recalled that during his previous administration, Ghana had to send some of its ageing naval vessels to the Damen shipyard in the Netherlands for servicing and maintenance due to the absence of adequate local facilities.

He expressed confidence that the new investment would provide an efficient alternative for ships, oil rigs and other maritime vessels operating along the Gulf of Guinea.

“There are a lot of vessels working on the Gulf Coast, and they either have to go to Europe for maintenance or they have to go to Durban in South Africa for maintenance. So this fills a very good vacuum,” he stated.

President Mahama described the project as an important component of the government’s broader infrastructure and job creation agenda, particularly its efforts to equip young people with technical and vocational skills.

He said the facility would create 430 jobs, with 30 per cent of the positions reserved for women, while also providing opportunities for technology transfer and specialised training in ship repair and maintenance.

“What pleases me the most is that it will create 430 jobs for our young people. This is all part of the Big Push and the research agenda to create jobs for our young people, and indeed, the icing on the cake is 30 per cent of the jobs are reserved for females, for our young girls,” he said.

According to him, the skills and experience workers would acquire through the facility would improve their competitiveness in the international maritime industry.

“They will gain the technology transfer. They will become skilled at ship repair, and I believe it will make them internationally marketable,” he added.

The President also commended Prime Meridian, Shipwright and the financial institutions involved in making the investment possible, expressing optimism that the project would be completed within the stipulated 18-month period.

The floating dry dock project forms part of broader efforts to strengthen Ghana’s maritime infrastructure and expand the capacity of its ports to support international trade, industrialisation and economic growth.