In a recent visit to Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), Mr Gert-Jan Nieuwenhuizen, Managing Director of the Port of Amsterdam International, expressed interest in establishing a direct link to ship from Ghana to Amsterdam’s port.
Speaking to senior GPHA officials, he said that the turnaround time for transporting commodities such as cocoa from the sub-region to destination countries would improve if such a link was established.
The proposal comes at a time when the Port of Amsterdam International is looking for new measures to optimise its supply chain operations from the West Coast of Africa. Mr Nieuwenhuizen’s visit served to strengthen the relationship between the Port of Amsterdam and the GPHA.
Mr Michael Luguje, Director General of the GPHA, said they had received proposals from private companies to sell sustainable energy to the port, including through the development of wind farms. He stated that they are currently in the discussion phase and have no confirmed plans yet. However, the GPHA intends to use its relationship with the Port of Amsterdam to advance its green port agenda.
Both the Ghanaian and Dutch sides ended the meeting with the hope of signing a memorandum of understanding to guide future business between the partners. Among the possible areas, they plan to explore are trade strategy, optimisations to improve supply chain efficiency and the green port agenda, to name a few.
