GPAH Now Supports �Illegal� Lonrho-Atuabo Free Port Project?

A group calling itself Nzema Youth for Peace and Development has lauded Ghana Ports and Harbors Authority for rescinding its decision against the construction of a free port at Atuabo in the Ellembele district of the Western Region. The group which maintains it has now seen that GPHA and its associates are not against development of the Atuabo area have urged all well-meaning Ghanaians to also commend GPHA for giving the green light. At a press conference organized by members of the group in Takoradi and attended by a cross-section of the people all the way from Atuabo, the president, Abizi Morkeh, said they wholeheartedly support construction of the Lonrho-Atuabo free port project because it will offer jobs to many unemployed youth in the area, including graduates. He noted that establishment of the free port would create avenues for companies like ENI Ghana, which is a gas processing company, to operate efficiently to create employment for the youth. The president used that platform to urged government to give the necessary support to ENI which has provided and continues providing social responsibility programmes for the community�s in the Atuabo area. Mr. Morkeh said his group strongly believes that, strategically, the Lonrho-Atuabo free port project will offer Ghana the opportunity to become a regional hub for support services in the West African sub-region, something which is important for oil and gas production. The group also sees the project as an avenue for paving the way for many Ghanaian companies to become involved in the wider West Africa oil and gas industry. It said it would also not be out of place if GPHA Tabled any loopholes in the MOU to President John Dramani Mahama for further discussions which would bring immense benefits to the country, adding that all potential companies and developers who are bound to benefit from the project should also come on board to bring development to the Atuabo area and Ghana as a whole