It has also invested in solar and other renewable sources of energy to support the authority’s efforts towards sustainability as well as help tackle climate change.

The General Manager in Charge of Estate & Environment at GPHA, James Benjamin Gaisie, disclosed this at this year’s GPHA Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Policies sensitisation held for staff and stakeholders of the port in Tema last Friday.

Mr Gaisie said at the Port headquarters level, roof top solar panels had been installed to generate power for lighting purposes adding that management intended to expand the initiative to other departments to generate about eight megawatts of power to support port operations.

Sensitisation

The three-day sensitisation programme started on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 in Takoradi.

Last Thursday, members of the GPHA Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Committee interacted with stakeholders at the Tema Fishing Harbour and the Golden Jubilee Terminal in Tema before ending at the Tema Port last Friday.

It brought together staff, management and stakeholders in different activities geared towards impressing upon the port community the need to support the authority in promoting safety at the port.

Various managers spoke on the issues of occupational health, port security, environmental pollution and prevention, industrial safety, International Organisation for Standardisation( ISO), certification, dress code (the role of PPEs) and substance abuse, among other topics.

Green ports

Mr Gaisie noted that internationally, most ports across the world were going green and GPHA intended to invest in green sources of energy to provide electrical power to ships that berthed at the ports while their main and auxiliary engines were shut down.

“Currently, we are depending on the national grid which is about 60 or so per cent powered by fossil fuel.”

The Port Authority, he said, was also exploring wind power generation to complement the energy mix to help solve the greenhouse gas emission in line with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the shipping industry to net zero by close to 2050. 

The Chairman of GPHA’s Occupational Health, Safety and Environment Committee, Dr Vitus Victor Anaab-Bisi, said the issues of climate change were real and GPHA, being an ethical institution, was committed to doing its bit to provide the necessary facilities that would make low- or zero-carbon marine alternative fuel available to ships that call at the ports in Ghana to sustain the climate and reduce carbon emission.

Also, he said the authority was committed to plastic and paper recycling, a vital part of their mission to reduce environmental harm and create a more sustainable future.

As a result, the Port Authority has invested in waste segregation systems, using the forum to appeal to staff and clients to cooperate with management in making port operations green.  

Substance abuse

The General Manager, Administration at GPHA, Kwabena Adu Safo, disclosed that the authority had a longstanding commitment to provide a safe, quality-oriented and productive working environment, adding that employees might not be permitted to work, if they were found to have any trace of alcohol or drugs in their system, when tested.

The Director of Tema Port, Sandra Opoku, underscored the need for all individuals within the port community to prioritise Occupational Health, Safety and Environment policy issues in and around the port as they performed their core functions.