President John Dramani Mahama has broken ground on two major projects worth a combined $235 million at Takoradi Port in Ghana's Western Region. The projects are a $137 million ship repair facility, known as Project Shiprite, and a $98.41 million new berth, Berth 19.

The ceremony marks the start of construction on both schemes, which the government says will turn Takoradi into a regional maritime services hub for the Gulf of Guinea. Ships operating along West Africa's busy shipping lanes currently have to travel long distances for repair and dry-docking, often to South Africa, Dubai or Europe.

What is Project Shiprite?

Project Shiprite is an integrated ship repair and maintenance facility being developed within the Port of Takoradi by Prime Meridian Docks Ghana Limited under a 25-year concession from the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA). It will include a floating dock capable of servicing vessels measuring up to 200 metres in length.

The facility is expected to be completed within 18 months and to create up to 430 direct jobs, with 30 per cent of the roles reserved for women. It will be operated by Rigmar Ghana Limited, part of the Interocean Group, as technical partner.

President Mahama said that on the whole of the West Coast and the Gulf Coast there was no major ship repair facility, and Ghana had to send some of its ageing naval fleets to the Damme shipyard in the Netherlands for servicing and maintenance. The project reached financial close with support from the Private Infrastructure Development Group, which provided $9.7 million through its investment arm InfraCo, and it was unveiled as a flagship investment under the UK-Ghana Growth Partnership signed in London in June 2026.

What is Berth 19?

Berth 19 is a 300-metre-long facility designed to accommodate vessels of up to 75,000 deadweight tonnes. The $98.41 million project is being funded directly from GPHA's own resources and is scheduled for completion in 26 months.

The new berth is expected to improve the handling of mineral exports and imported dry bulk cargo, including clinker for the cement industry, and to raise revenue for the port while expanding Ghana's trade sector.

Why the projects matter for Ghana

Takoradi is Ghana's second port and a gateway for the country's western mining and agricultural regions. By adding modern dry-docking and commercial vessel repair capacity, the government aims to capture a larger share of the Gulf of Guinea's maritime services market and keep repair spending within the region.

The projects also form part of a wider effort to develop Takoradi as an industrial and logistics centre. The ship repair facility alone is described as the first of its scale in the Gulf of Guinea, and officials say it will open up supply and skills opportunities for Ghanaians alongside the direct jobs it creates.

Construction on both projects is now under way, with the ship repair facility due first. Once complete, vessels operating along the West African coast will be able to repair and service at Takoradi without making costly detours to shipyards elsewhere.