President John Mahama has dismissed Dr. Alexander Adusei from his position as Director of the Keta Port, a project that has remained largely inactive since its announcement.
Dr. Adusei, who was appointed in 2019 under former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration, was tasked with overseeing the development of the port in Ghana’s Volta Region.
While no official reason has been given for his removal, it is widely believed that the project’s prolonged stagnation played a key role in the decision.
The Keta Port was designated as an official port site in 2018 under an Executive Instrument issued by the Akufo-Addo government, with the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) expected to lead its development.
However, six years later, progress has been minimal, causing frustration among local communities and industry stakeholders.
During the 2024 election campaign, Mr Mahama was vocal in his criticism of the previous administration, describing the lack of visible development as a missed economic opportunity. “After eight years, not even a single structure has been built for the port,” he said at a campaign rally.
In August 2024, six private investors expressed interest in partnering with the government to develop the port, which is expected to boost trade and enhance Ghana’s maritime infrastructure.
However, no binding agreements have been reached.
In October 2020, Dr Adusei justified his appointment saying he was appointed to ensure that from the outset of the Keta Port project, a designated director in high office takes charge of all negotiations, monitoring and the day-to-day decisions in order to bring about that massive port project into full realisation.
“You need a director who will work with technicians and engineers from GPHA to ensure the purpose of the construction. Exactly what is in the masterplan of GPHA based on the economics evaluated is what is being developed and nothing else,” he expressed.
Speaking on Eye on Port, Dr. Adusei said argued: “You need a director to start the whole thinking process to bring that port into fruition. The director with his team will be able to develop what is perfect for the area designated.”
Addressing concerns that his position could have been handled by already employed officials at GPHA, he explained that those officials also have their pre-existing primary responsibilities and, therefore, would not have been able to fully dedicate to the development of a new port due to the magnitude of the task at hand, hence his appointment.
“Even if you assign someone from GPHA for this function, remember that person already has a job responsibility that is required to be performed and yet your expectation is that that same person has to be able to do the due diligence needed for this greenfield project on a daily basis,” Dr. Adusei Jnr. explained.
He said the Keta Port is not the only project to have appointed a director before taking off.
“When we wanted to do Terminal 3, Tema Port was in existence and there was a masterplan. Even with that, agreement was signed in 2012, but proper construction started in 2015 and phase 1 of that project was completed in 2020,” he cited.
