A Ghana delegation visiting Durban on a study tour was highly impressed and inspired by eThekwini Municipality’s development structures.
The delegation, including Ghana Deputy Minister for Local Governance and Rural Development, Emmanuel Agyekum and the Mayor of Tema Municipality in Ghana, Isaac Odamtten are on a two-day educational visit to the City.In the meeting at the Durban’s City Hall today, 25 November 2015, the team interacted and shared ideas with Municipal officials.A range of topics, including presentations on environmental and climate change, community participation, Go!Durban public transport project, and informal trading were discussed.
The City’s Head of International and Governance Relations Eric Apelgren gave a presentation on the port of Durban and City’s integration plan. An impressed Odamtten noted the similarities between Durban and the city of Tema, saying they were also investing in their port industry.
“We’re also serious about our port, and we’re investing about 1.5 billion dollars towards the port expansion. Our vision is to serve a bigger market,” he said.
Sean O’ Donaghue a Manager at Climate Protection spoke about the climate change risks facing Durban and measures the City had in place to mitigate the risks.
The delegation was impressed with how the Municipality was managing its waste disposal. “We want to further engage with your officials from waste management to get tips and ideas of how best we can address the issue of waste disposal,” said Agyekum. Apelgren suggested that the two cities set a date where local officials can give Tema delegates tours to the City’s landfill sites and recycling plants. The Ghana delegates, who will leave the City on Thursday, 26 November 2015 for Johannesburg said the presentations were useful and informative.
