Tema Newtown Fishermen to demonstrate against MPS over unpaid compensations

Hundreds of fishermen in the Tema region, are bracing themselves to hit the streets over the failure of Meridian Port Service (MPS) to pay them agreed compensations for the Tema Port Expansion Project.

The fishermen who are being led by Tema based pressure group Citizen Check, have served notice to the various security and government institutions of their intentions to demonstrate in the coming weeks, to bring to a halt ongoing works at the 1.5-billion-dollar project, until compensations owed them are remitted.

BACKGROUND

“In 2016 during consultations for the construction of the Tema Port Expansion Project, a meeting between Fishermen in the Tema Region (Tema New Town Canoe Basin) and Meridian Port Services as Well as the Ghana Port and Harbours Authority and it allied stakeholders in the Port Expansion Project, agreed to a compensation package for Fishermen in Tema and those along the coastal belt of the region, due to the negative impact the construction will have on fishes and the livelihood of fishermen there. Amongst the agreed package, was an agreed compensation of 1.5 million dollars to be shared amongst the 5 laden beaches which will be affected, namely Nungua, Sakumono, Tema Newtown, Kpone and Prampram. The package also included the award of scholarships to the children of these fishermen whose livelihoods will be affected by the Port Expansion Project”.

UPDATE

However, 3 years down the lane with the first phase of the 1.5-billion-dollar project almost completed, affected fishermen at the Tema Newtown Canoe Basin, say they are yet to receive their share of the compensation package as well as any package include in the agreement. Secretary of the Tema Canoe Owners Association, Adjetey Tawiah, claims several petitions to Meridian Port Services and its allied stakeholders for the payment of their compensation have yielded no results. He said checks from their colleague's along the other affected landen beaches in the capital,as to whether they have received their share of the compensation, shows same negative response.

He said since the start of the expansion project their livelihood has been affected greatly, because they have not made any huge catch within the catchment areas of the project. According to him the continuous drilling, blasting and dredging of the sea, as well as winning of sand deep under sea waters, has killed some and driven out all the fishes in areas that they fish.

Meanwhile officials of Meridian Port Services, say all necessary payments have been made to the relevant authorities.

The 1.5billion dollar project which is being undertaken through a joint venture between Meridian Port Holdings Limited, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, with Bollore Transport and Logistics, APM Terminals as the 2 main shareholders, is expected to be completed in June this year. The 1.5 billion Funds for the project, which was secured by MPS under the International Finance Compact IFC a subsidiary of the World Bank Group and it stakeholders, have since been issued out. However, fishermen whose livelihood have been affected since the inception of this project almost 3 years down the lane, are yet to be compensated.

Ghana | Atinkaoanline.com | Philip Azu