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Tag: Boankra Inland Port

  • First phase of Boankra Inland Port sees 40% completion

    First phase of Boankra Inland Port sees 40% completion

    About 40% of the initial phase of the $308 million Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT), commonly known as the Boankra Inland Port in the Ejisu Municipality of the Ashanti Region, has been completed thus far.

    The project contractor, JUSTMOH Construction Limited, which commenced work on October 10, 2022, remains optimistic about meeting the extended deadline of September 2026.

    “Currently, 40 per cent of the first phase of the project is completed and we are optimistic of meeting the extended deadline”, Dr John Bernard Koranteng Yorke, the Project Manager of JUSTMOH, told members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport when they inspected progress of work at the Terminal last Wednesday.

    During a recent inspection by members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport, Dr. John Bernard Koranteng Yorke, Project Manager at JUSTMOH, reported, “Currently, 40% of the first phase of the project is completed and we are optimistic of meeting the extended deadline.”

    During the site visit, the contractor was observed nearing completion of the terminal’s filling process and applying bitumen on the surface of the 12.2-kilometer internal road network. Dr. Yorke explained that work remains on the section where the ‘Penama Stream’ passes, where construction of a bridge is underway to divert the water course before finalizing the terminal’s paving.

    The expansive project, covering 413 acres, includes facilities like an inland clearance depot, customs estates, commercial zones (including banks, offices, and trading facilities), vehicle parking areas, light industrial zones, and an administrative complex.

    Upon completion, the terminal aims to support importers and exporters across central and northern Ghana, facilitating efficient transit traffic to and from landlocked neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

    Kennedy Osei Nyarko, Committee Chairman, emphasized that the visit aimed to assess progress and address challenges facing the contractor. He underscored the committee’s role in supporting various ministries and agencies to fulfill their responsibilities effectively.

    Expressing satisfaction with the project’s progress, Nyarko urged the Ministry of Transport to expedite payments to the contractor, pending since November last year, to ensure timely project completion. He highlighted the project’s national significance and appealed for prompt financial disbursements.

    CEO of JUSTMOH, Dr. Justice Amoh, reaffirmed commitment to the project’s success, describing it as a national asset. He emphasized the contractor’s dedication and appealed to committee members to leverage their influence in securing timely fund releases for project continuity.

  • Govt faces 3.6b dollars lawsuit over the termination of the Boankra Inland Port contract

    Govt faces 3.6b dollars lawsuit over the termination of the Boankra Inland Port contract

    Ashanti Port Services Limited (APSL), a private consortium which previously engaged in the construction of the Boankra Inland Port Project, has initiated legal proceedings against the Ministry of Transport over the termination of their contract.

    The consortium is seeking damages exceeding three billion dollars, claiming this amount represents the projected profit margin over the 27-year operational period of the project.

    APSL asserts that the contract was terminated by the Ghana Shippers Authority, operating through the Ministry of Transport, despite the consortium’s diligent efforts to meet their obligations under the Build, Operate and Transfer agreement.

    The consortium contends that the termination was unlawful, attributing it to various interferences and breaches by the respondent.

    David Affum, the CEO of APSL, is pursuing a declaration that the termination was unlawful, an interim injunction to halt any further work on the project site, general damages for breach of contract, and reimbursement of incurred expenses.

    Additionally, APSL is seeking a refund of funds paid by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority for shares in APSL, along with compensation for the projected income over the operational period of the project.

    The consortium is hoping for a favorable ruling from the Court of Arbitration, which would include reinstatement of the contract and an award covering legal fees.

    This lawsuit underscores the complexities and challenges private entities face in infrastructure projects in Ghana, as well as the potential repercussions of contract terminations for all parties involved.

  • Boankra Inland Port to be ready in November 2024 – Concessionaire

    Boankra Inland Port to be ready in November 2024 – Concessionaire

    The Chief Executive Officer of Ashanti Ports Services Limited (APSL), Isaac Afum, has revealed that the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT), also known as the Boankra Inland Port project in the Ashanti region, will be completed and handed over to the government in November 2024.

    During a visit to the project site, Mr. Isaac Afum, accompanied by APSL officials, expressed satisfaction with the progress of work on the $330 million project, which had faced numerous challenges over the past two decades.

    Mr. Afum confirmed that the Ghanaian contractors, Justmoh Construction Limited, were on track with the project timeline. He anticipated that, barring any unforeseen obstacles, the project would be delivered as scheduled.

    During the visit, earth-moving machinery was seen actively working on the terminal area, with approximately 80 percent of the filling already completed.

    Once finished, the Boankra Inland Port will feature various facilities including an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and unbonded estates, commercial areas such as banks, offices, and trading facilities, vehicle parking and light industrial areas, as well as an administration block complex.

    The project aims to provide services for importers and exporters in the middle and northern parts of the country, while also serving as a crucial transportation route for transit traffic to and from landlocked neighboring countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.

    Mr. Afum expressed optimism that the completion of the project would not only enhance business opportunities in the region but also generate employment for the youth through direct and indirect means.

    He commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his support and confidence in selecting a local concessionaire for the development of the Boankra Inland Port.

    “My gratitude also goes to the Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah and the Shippers Authority for their continuous support and the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, for his role, advice, and unflinching support to the progress of the project,” he added.

    According to the CEO, additional funding for the project has been secured, with Africa Export-Import Bank (Afeximbank) committing $280 million and an Italian financier providing an additional $100 million.

    The Ghana Shippers Authority is the client for the project, and the concessionaire is Ashanti Ports Services Limited, a joint venture involving Afum Quality Limited of Ghana.

    The Project Manager of the Boankra Inland Port, Jarrar Saddique, provided an update on the progress of work, stating that once the surfacing and drainage system were completed, the construction of structures would commence.

    The Board Chairman of Ashanti Ports Services Limited, Nana Bugyei, expressed their commitment to supporting the successful completion of the project.

    Furthermore, the project is expected to generate significant employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labor.

  • Boankra Inland Port to be completed by March 2024

    Ashanti Ports Services Limited (APSL), the Concessionaire of the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project, has assured President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that the project would be completed by March 2024.

    That pledge was made when the President visited the site of the construction on Sunday, as part of activities marking his four-day working tour of the Ashanti Region.

    Popularly referred to as the Boankra Inland Port Project, the venture, covering a total land area of 413 acres, has been on the drawing board for some 18 years.

    The idea of the Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal project was in the pipeline during the Kufuor era. It encountered several challenges, a significant one being the exit of the NPP government in 2009.
    However, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod on November 2020, for the construction of the Port.
    The Concessionaire informed President Akufo-Addo that it was working to deliver the project within the scheduled date.

    “By the end of 2023, 80 per cent will be done, and, by the end of the first quarter of 2024, we will finish the project,” APSL said.

    The APSL was hopeful that the eastern and western railway lines, which would further improve the viability of the Boankra inland port, would be completed on schedule.

    APSL is a joint venture of Afum Quality Limited of Ghana and DSS Associates of the Republic of Korea. It has committed to investing a total of $330 million for the realisation of the project.

    The Concessionaire is expected to design, engineer, finance, procure, construct, operate, and maintain the inland Port, and transfer the title to the Government after 30 years.

    The project had been initiated to provide service to importers and exporters in the middle and northern parts of the country, and also to act as a major conduit for the efficient transportation of transit traffic to and from our neighbouring landlocked countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.

    “It is my hope and expectation that the Concessionaire will not renege on the confidence reposed in it and will take all the necessary actions to deliver the project on schedule and budget,” the President said when he inspected work at the site.


    He was hopeful that “this project and other similar infrastructure projects, such as the development of the Keta Port, the Tema-Akosombo Railway Line, and the ongoing port expansion projects at Tema and Takoradi Ports, would make a positive contribution in ensuring that Ghana derives maximum benefits from the AfCFTA.”

    After completion of the Terminal, it would be fitted with an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and unbonded estates, commercial areas such as banks, offices and trading facilities, vehicle parking areas, light industrial areas, and an administration complex.

    GNA