Ghanaian Ports Authority Delegation Meets President Kabbah
By Marian Samu

Wednesday, October 20th: A delegation from the Ghana Ports Authority has held discussions with President Kabbah on the way-forward for improving the management of the Sierra Leone Ports Authority (SLPA).

Introducing members of the delegation to President Kabbah, the Chairman of the National Privatization Commission, Mr. A. R. Turay, said the delegation is in Freetown as a result of a request from the Privatization Commission, in response to His Excellency's directive that they take a look into the management of the SLPA and find ways of transforming it into an economically-viable institution. After a series of meetings with the SLPA management, Mr. Turay said, they discovered that the SLPA lacked corporate management capacity and competence. As a result, they had to approach the Ghanaian Government for assistance through the Sierra Leone High Commission in Accra, as the Ghanaian Ports Authority has a reputation for being very efficient in ports management. Mr. Turay said the team had already held discussions with the management of the SLPA and they have also taken a look at the ports to see what needs to be done.

The Director-General of the Ghana Ports Authority, Mr. Ben Owusu Mensah who led the delegation, after conveying felicitations to President Kabbah from the Ghanaian Head of State, H.E. John Kufour, expressed appreciation for being given the opportunity to share the Ghana model experience with the ports management here in Freetown. He said calling on them shows the interest and importance President Kabbah attaches to the port.

Mr. Owusu Mensah said their policy is to exchange ideas and share experiences with their counterparts, not only in Africa, but have done so in the United States of America as well. He was proud to state that they have a reputation that has earned them the confidence of the World Bank, who now look up to the Ghana model for privatization.

Mr. Mensah said that moving around the city, he observed that there are a lot of economic activities going on and this is supposed to bring in revenue for the ports. If the port is efficient and effective, it would have an impact on the import and export activities and hence promote the economic development of the country, Mr. Mensah noted. He said, he shares the concern of the President in making the port economically viable.

While welcoming the delegation, President Kabbah commended the Privatization Commission for taking the appropriate decision to invite our brothers from Ghana to intervene in finding solutions to the management of our port. He said he was pleased that this kind of technical cooperation is now being practised among ECOWAS countries, and expressed hopes that the intervention of the Ghana Ports Authority management will remedy the current situation at the SLPA, so that government will once again start realizing the much-needed revenue from the ports.

Also present at the meeting were Sierra Leone's High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Alie Bangura, Ghanaian High Commissioner to Sierra Leone, H.E. Kabral Blay-Amihere and members of the SLPA Board and Management.

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