The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is the first organization to respond to a distress call by the Chiefs and Local Authorities in Keta in the Volta Region, following the displacement of thousands of residents in the aftermath of the spillage of the Akosombo Dam.
According to the Dufia of Kedzi, Togbi Joachim Acolatse, the area has been heavily impacted by the floods, resulting in closure of schools, churches and even markets, with the attendant economic downturn.
He said it is only the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority which has heeded their call for support for the flood victims in the area, explaining that thousands of people have been displaced including some Nine Thousand (9,000) students.
Togbi Acolatse who was speaking during a courtesy call by the Municipal Chief Executive for Keta, Hon. Emmanuel Gemegah and a team from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, after the Authority donated relief items including One Hundred (100) bags of rice, Fifty (50) boxes of cooking oil and Fifty (50) cartons of Mackerel to the Municipal Assembly for onward distribution to the victims in the area, bemoaned the fact that the spotlight has been placed on other areas, with almost all donations from Corporate Ghana and public spirited individuals going to these areas with no support to those in Keta.
He said “We are at a loss as to why no one seems interested in coming to our aid. All efforts are being channeled to other areas to the neglect of Keta which has been severely impacted by this unfortunate incident. We are still grappling with the aftermath of the spillage. Schools were shut, churches closed, hospitals got flooded and markets were not left out. Economic activities came to standstill and the effect is still here with us. So it beats us that no one has looked here in terms of offering support. GPHA is the first to come to our aid and were grateful”.
He described the donation by GPHA as timely, coming a few days to the Christmas and New Year celebrations. According to him, most of the people in the area who have been affected by the floods are not going to be able to join in the celebrations because of lack. He therefore called on Corporate Ghana to come to aid of flood victims in the Keta area.
The spokesperson to the Awomefia of the Anlo State, Togbi Kumassa on his part, lauded the initiative by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and catalogued the challenges that the area is grappling with in the aftermath of the floods.
He was also hopeful that the much needed help will come quickly enough to bring some relief to those affected.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Keta, Hon. Emmanuel Gemegah who was full of praise for the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, also decried the sorry state of the area following the flood disaster, corroborating reports that the area has not received any support since the incident.
He said several communities within the Keta area have been severely impacted and requires urgent dsupport, urging corporate Ghana and individuals who are touched by their plight to step forward and lend a helping hand.
A Senior Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer at GPHA, Kennedy Mornah who presented the items on behalf on the Authority intimated that the donation was informed by a decision by the Board and Management to contribute the Authoritys widows mite towards bringing relief to residents of the affected communities. He explained that the Authority was touched by the plight and suffering of the people in the affected communities, hence, the decision to make the donation.
In a similar move, GPHA has donated several relief items to flood victims in Battor. The items, 200 bags of rice, 100 cartons of soap, 100 bags of sugar, 100 cartons of Canned Mackerel, 100 boxes of powdered soap, 50 boxes of oil and 800 packs of sachet water were presented to the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, by Abena Serwaa Opoku Fosu, the Marketing and Public Affairs Manager of the Port of Tema, with assistance from Malik Adams, a Senior Marketing and Corporate Affairs Officer at the Authority.