The Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, School of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with the Technical University of Delft (TU Delft) and other institutions in the Netherlands has won a grant of 700,000.00 Euros from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) WOTRO Science for Global Development, as part of the Urbanising Deltas of the World Programme. The three-year project is titled “Integrated and Sustainable Port Development in Ghana within an African Context”.
The purpose of the research is to build on knowledge needed to apply and develop a green port concept in African context aimed at integrated and sustainable plans and designs for African ports. The approach is interdisciplinary, in co-creation with (African) stakeholders and develops bottom-up practical cases into tools and a generic framework for African ports.
Dr. Kwasi Appeaning Addo Head of Department Marine and Fisheries Sciences and Co-Principal Investigator stated that, the project is based on the background that activities associated with port development, such as land reclamation and implementation of infrastructure may have a negative impact on ecosystems and socio-economic functioning.
He said that recent initiatives such as the sustainable ports guidance of PIANC (World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure) and the IAPH (International Association of Ports and Harbours) suggests the need to move away from the traditional approach and adopt interventions that require a successful balance between morphological, economic, ecological and social processes as opportunities to create added value.