Keta Sea Defence project near completion

Havedzi, Aug. 9, GNA- Construction works on the Keta Sea Defence Project is now 94 per cent complete.

The expected reclamation of 272.5 hectares of land is 91 per cent complete while the construction of the six groynes of an average of 200 metres into the sea, and the 733 metre long revetment-sea wall in front of Keta township are also complete.

Mr Garry Schark, project Manager of the Great Lakes and Dock Company, which is handling the project said this when he took Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Tourism and the Beautification of the Capital City round the project site at Havedzi on Friday.

The Minister was on the final stage of a three-day working visit to tourist sites in the Volta Region, which took him to the Birds and Monkey Sanctuary at Xavi in the Akatsi District and Tafi-Atome in the Hohoe District respectively.

Mr Schark showed the Minister and officials from the Land Valuation Board, the Ghana Tourist Development Corporation and the Town and Country Planning Department, the 80.5 metre long flood control structure with 20 gates designed to control the flow of water between the sea and the lagoon.

He said land reclamation is also 91 per cent complete and portions earmarked for the resettlement of inhabitants of Kedzi, Vodza and Adzodo have been taken over by government for the construction of 800 units of houses for the people.

Mr Schark also showed the Minister 100 units of houses under construction to settle residents of Vodza and Adzido to make room for the full reclamation of the two low-lying townships.

The Project manager described the project as having an "exceptional tourism potential" with promising returns and called for heavy investment in infrastructure, including potable water and hotels to attract potential investors.

Togbe Kporku III, Project Director of Conterra Limited, the Employers representatives on the project told the Minister that 30 per cent of the reclaimed land is meant for resettlement of the displaced people with 70 per cent to be reserved for economic activities such as tourism development.

Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey described the project as mighty, saying it holds economic prospects for the area and the country. He said the project falls within the government's economic plan and announced that tourism potentials in the area would be showcased at a conference in Accra next year.