The Boankra Integrated Logistics Terminal (BILT), also known as the Boankra Inland Port project in the Ashanti region, is set to be completed and handed over to the government in November 2024, according to Isaac Afum, the Chief Executive Officer of Ashanti Ports Services Limited (APSL), the concessionaire to the project.
After nearly two decades of delays due to various challenges, including mobilization issues, the $330 million project is now progressing well. Ghanaian contractor, Justmoh Construction Limited, is on schedule with about 80% of the filling completed in the terminal area.
Once finished, the Boankra Inland Port will feature an inland clearance depot, customs bonded and unbonded estates, commercial areas with banks, offices, and trading facilities, vehicle parking, light industrial zones, and an administration block complex. This project will cater to importers and exporters in the middle and northern regions of Ghana and serve as a crucial transportation route for transit traffic to and from neighboring landlocked countries like Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
Isaac Afum expressed optimism that the completion of the project will not only boost business opportunities in the region but also generate employment for the youth through direct and indirect means. He extended his gratitude to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Minister of Transport Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, and the Shippers Authority for their unwavering support.
Additional funding for the project has been secured from the Africa Export-Import Bank (Afeximbank), contributing $280 million, and another financier from Italy providing an additional $100 million.
The Ghana Shippers Authority is the client for the project, while Ashanti Ports Services Limited, a joint venture of Afum Quality Limited of Ghana, acts as the concessionaire.
Jarrar Saddique, the Project Manager of the Boankra Inland Port, explained that after completing the surfacing, work, and drainage system, the erection of structures will begin.
Nana Bugyei, the Board Chairman of Ashanti Ports Services Limited, pledged their support for the successful completion of the project, which is expected to create significant employment opportunities for both skilled and unskilled labor.
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