The shipping line, which is a West Africa project, has undergone the necessary procurement procedures with government and stakeholders and was optimistic that by the end of the year, it would be completed.

Mr Mark Badu-Aboagye, the Chief Executive Officer of GNCC, who announced this at a press briefing in Accra, said there was the need to move from importing goods and start to export to boost the economic growth of the country.

He said shipping played a vital role in internationally without which the world not have been prosperous as it is today and many countries would not have been able to participate in world trade.

Mr Badu-Aboagye said GNCC was an association of business operators, firms and industries with interests spanning every sector of private enterprise, saying, “as an advocacy organisation, the association was established with the prime objective of promoting industrial and commercial interest in the country”.

“The Chamber represents the voice of the business community with total commitment to playing a leadership role towards propelling the country’s economy to higher heights and will continue to influence government policies to the benefit of the private sector,” he said. Mr Badu-Aboagye said the Chamber had provided members with a platform for interacting with government and its agencies as well as enhancing their efficiency through capacity building and networking.

She said the Chamber provided services such as trade and investment missions through trade exhibitions, investment missions, research and advocacy, and business support services for members to grow their businesses. He said the Chamber had, over the years, participated in various trade fairs in the country and abroad, assisted in recovering commercial debt owed to Ghanaian exporters by outside businesses and played a role in the establishment of ECOBANK.

He urged government to continue to partner the Chamber in formulating fiscal and monetary policies since the private sector is the engine of growth and employs over 80 per cent of the population. Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso I, the President of GNCC, said the Chamber was affiliated with internationally acclaimed bodies like the Pan African Chamber of Commerce, Federation of West African Chamber of Commerce and Industry and International Chamber of Commerce.

He encouraged all to place more priority on agriculture to produce more and export some of the produce to raise revenue for the country’s development. He urged Ghanaians to patronise made-in-Ghana goods to create jobs for the youth and boost economic growth.