Save Tema from decay- Osei Aidoo

Mr. Abraham Osei Aidoo, Deputy Majority Leader, on Tuesday bemoaned the infrastructural decay and the dwindling industrial base of Tema as the port city celebrates its fiftieth anniversary.

He said the last city on the Greenwich meridian is now a pale shadow of itself and called for interventions to restore the city's pre-eminence in the nation's economy. The member had read a statement to commemorate the Fiftieth anniversary of the city.

In 1952, government acquired the landmass east of Nungua bonded on the South by the Atlantic Ocean and measuring 63 square miles for the development into the modern city of Tema.

Mr Aidoo said the development of the acquired land into an industrial, commercial and residential complex was partly necessitated by the choice of Tema as the site for the harbour and the Volta Aluminum Company (Valco).

"The presence of the harbour, its unique landscape and proximity to the Akosombo where most of the country's hydro-electric power is generated were some of the combination of factors that made Tema, the haven for all industries."

He said in terms of contribution to the national economy, Tema would rank highest among all other cities in the country. "As we celebrate the Fiftieth anniversary of this great city reputed to be at the center of the world, we must admit that over the years Tema has lost some of its attraction as the nation lose some of our dreams that fired the struggle for independence."

Mr Aidoo who is the MP for Tema West, said: "Tema has lost some of its industries, especially in textiles due to foreign competition and high cost of production."

"The rail line to Accra is no more. The drydocks is a pale shadow of what it used to be, the Chemu and Sakumo Lagoons, which hitherto helped to ensure ecological balance are now polluted, stagnant and emitting very offensive smell."

He said the once vibrant workforce both in the factories and in the maritime industry is now largely redundant adding that "Water supply to the new communities is most irregular, even as flooding in these areas becomes a regular phenomenon."

Later in the day, the house adopted a report on the special session of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and related meetings held in Geneva, Switzerland from 23-27 September 2002.