By Charles Gbayor in Maryland, Liberia
The National Port Authority (NPA) has reopened its offices in the city of Harper, Maryland County. The office building was open recently as a boost to the port users and administrative staff managing the port.
Harper port manager William Wallace assured residents and the business community that his administration will ensure that the Port of Harper remains functional and active for use. He electrification of the port in totality and operating cool storage facilities to help preserve goods will be priority for his administration.
According to Mr. Wallace, the port and all staffs are encouraging potential port users and investors to do business with the port, adding he will make the Harper port a major partner in the South Eastern region.
The NPA Maryland Boss told journalist at the occasion that currently the WESTNAF Logging company is shipping logs at the port.
Mr. Wallace said his administration has negotiated with the Aminta and Sons petroleum company and other institutions to begin doing business at the Harper port. The Port management is also discussing with the business community, the Maryland Oil Palm Plantation, Cavalla Rubber Corporation, and the Golden Verolum Liberia to ensure that these concession activities can focus the port.
Additional renovation work has begun on the harbor to reinforce it for active work, Mr. Wallace said. According to Mr. Wallace, the Port of Harper serves the south eastern region and currently providing much needed services to Maryland, Grand Kru and River Gee counties.
Speaking also at the program making the official reopening of the administration annex of NPA, the business community representative, Mohammed Bashilu, spoke of the challenging situations the business community Maryland County has been facing in receiving their goods from Monrovia during the rainy season.
Mr. Bashilu said the bad road condition has affected their businesses, noting that the port will serve as a major conduit to transport their goods to the county. He assured the port management that the business community in Maryland County will transact business with the port
For his part Maryland County Superintendent George Andrew Proud said his administration will work collaboratively with the NPA to make sure that the port remains active and functional. “My office will negotiate with MOPP, CRC and GVL to make adequate use of the port,” he said, so as to bring development to the county.
He then praised the NPA team in Maryland for the job done.
The NPA was established by an Act of the National Legislature in 1967 and amended in 1970 as a state-owned corporation to manage, plan and built public Ports across Liberia.
The port of Harper was established in 1959 and was called the Harper Shadow Port until later when it joined the National Port Authority of Liberia in 1970 and was named the Port of Harper.
