Commitment to building modern railway infrastructure unwavering, says President Akufo-Addo

President Akufo-Addo has declared that his government’s commitment to building modern railway infrastructure across the length and breadth of Ghana remains unwavering and that the railways remain a top priority for him and his ministers.

The president gave this assurance on Tuesday (6 December 2022) when he addressed the chiefs, elders and people of Afienya in the Greater Accra Region at a commissioning ceremony for a 900-metre-long road bridge built for the Tema-to-Mpakadan railway line.

The 97-kilometre Tema-to-Mpakadan railway link is the first section of the Ghana- Burkina Faso Railway Interconnectivity Project.

“I want to reaffirm my commitment and determination to provide an enabling environment and support for the development of a modern railway system that will not only benefit the current generation but also generations yet unborn.

“I would like to put on record that in the last five years of my administration, more construction activity in the railway sector has gone on than in any period since independence,” the president said.

“We have laid a solid foundation which will receive an even greater impetus by the end of my tenure in 2025. My commitment to the development of a new, modern-standard railway network is unwavering,” Akufo-Addo said.

Project timelines

In his speech, President Akufo-Addo said that before attending the commissioning ceremony, he stopped over to inspect work on one of eight stopping points being built for the 97-kilometre Tema-to-Mpakadan line.

The project consultant has assured him that the project will be completed by the first quarter of 2023 (by end March 2023), he said.

“The [Tema to Mpakadan railway line] project will address the imbalance between transport routes for long-distance transit and domestic freight movements from Accra to Tema northwards, and vice versa, using the Volta Lake transport system,” the president said.

“Not only will it increase transit cargo volumes through the lake, but it will also expand domestic shipments to and from the lake and it will serve as a boost for agricultural enterprises within the environs of the lake,” the president said.

Poised to deliver

The Minister of Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, spoke briefly and said the Railways Ministry is poised to deliver rail infrastructure across Ghana for the use and benefit of all.

“This project is a clear witness of where the money the government continues to borrow goes to,” Amewu said.

“The government on its own generates its own resources, but as a result of [the] infrastructure deficit, it is necessary for the government to look beyond, and that is why the government continues to borrow.

“Most of the borrowing undertaken by this government is borrowing that goes into development, as we are witnessing,” Amewu said.

Wilberforce Asare

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