The Ashanti Regional Minister says government is drawing up a roadmap to raise money for a project meant to link Ghana’s middle belt to the seaports.
Money, not manpower, is what is holding back the Boankra Integrated and Logistics Terminal (BILT), the inland port being built outside Kumasi.
Ashanti Regional Minister Dr. Frank Amoakohene admitted the funding shortfall after leading members of the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC) — the body that coordinates security and oversight at regional level — on an inspection of the site.
According to Daily Guide Network, Dr. Amoakohene said the Ministry of Finance is working on a roadmap that would bring stakeholders together to raise the resources needed to finish the job.
Where the project stands
The first phase of the terminal is about 65 percent complete. Once that phase is done, the facility is expected to begin operating, with construction on the second phase starting afterwards.
The minister said he was satisfied with what has been achieved so far and praised the contractor, Justmoh Construction Limited, for pressing on despite the cash squeeze.
The contractor's chief executive, Dr. Justice Amoh, confirmed that the project has gone without funding for some time, and said this is the main reason for the delays.
Prof. Ransford Edward Gyampo, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Shippers Authority — the state body that protects the interests of importers and exporters — said work would have moved much further if the contractors had money in hand. He said he was hopeful government would mobilise the funds.
Why government is stepping in
Dr. Amoakohene explained that Boankra was not originally on the list of government-funded projects. Developments around how it has been implemented, he said, have made state intervention necessary.
His argument is that abandoning the terminal now would waste the investment already sunk into it. He said the project is too important to trade, logistics and transport to be left unfinished.
What an inland port means in practice
An inland port is a dry terminal located away from the coast where containers can be cleared, stored and dispatched. Boankra is designed to connect Ghana's middle belt directly to the seaports at Tema and Takoradi.
For traders in Kumasi and the northern regions, that would mean cargo clearing closer to home instead of long haulage trips to the coast. For Ghanaians abroad who ship goods, vehicles or containers home, a working inland terminal could shorten the final leg of delivery to the middle belt.
What happens next
The immediate test is whether the Finance Ministry's roadmap produces actual money and on what terms. No funding figure, timeline or completion date was given during the site visit.
Until that is settled, the pace of work at Boankra will continue to depend on how quickly cash reaches the contractor.
