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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has cut the grass for the work to begin on the 83.5-kilometer standard-gauge railway line from Kumasi to Obuasi, as part of the new western line that is being built. .
When conducting the lawn mowing ceremony, on Wednesday, September 30, 2020, President Akufo-Addo pointed out that, as of January 2017, of the 947 kilometers of colonial narrow-gauge railway network bequeathed to the country by the colonialists, only the 10% was operational.
It claimed that apart from the 15-kilometer narrow gauge railway line, built between 2012 and 2017, from Sekondi to Takoradi via Kojokrom, no kilometer of railway line had been added.
“Upon taking office, he was determined to change this statistic, because he believed that the presence of an efficient and effective rail system was critical to the progress, prosperity and development of our nation. This led me to the decision to establish the Ministry of Railway Development, with the dynamic Hon. Joe Ghartey, Member of Parliament for Essikadu Ketan at the helm of affairs. By all accounts, this has started to pay off, ”the president said.
He continued: “Today’s event, the grass cutting for the construction of the 83.5 km Kumasi to Obuasi line, is a clear manifestation of the Akufo-Addo government’s policy to grow and develop the country’s railway sector. “.
It will be recalled that earlier this year the Cabinet and Parliament approved a € 500 million deal for the construction of a new standard gauge line from the port of Takoradi to Kojokrom, and also from Manso to Huni Valley.
Once this is complete, one hundred and two kilometers (102 km) of new standard gauge rail lines will have been built, as part of the development of a new standard gauge western line.
President Akufo-Addo explained that the Western Line is critical to the successful establishment of the new bauxite and aluminum industry promoted by the government.
The iron ore deposits of Sheini and Oppon Manso, which will be the basis of the imminent steel industry, according to the president, require a modern rail network to transport the ore and processed raw material.
In addition, President Akufo-Addo told the meeting that work is also progressing steadily on the Tema to Mpakadan line, which is the first phase of the Tema a Paid section of the Ghana-Burkina Rail Interconnectivity Project.
“This railway line has branches to Sheini and Oppon Manso. The exploitation of the bauxite deposits at Atiwa, as part of the nascent bauxite and aluminum industry, will also benefit from the construction of a new railway line ”, he added.
With the construction of the Boankra Inland Port imminent, following the approval by Parliament of a $ 300 million concession, the President stated that, since 1995, the country has been grappling with the development of the Inland Port.
The economic viability of the Boankra Inland Project, he emphasized, will be greatly enhanced by the presence of a rail line, adding that “a new standard gauge rail line from Accra to Tema to Kumasi is imperative, and I hope contracts will be signed. for the beginning of the construction of a line from Accra to Tema to Kumasi before the December elections ”.
Since the country’s rail network had never gone beyond Kumasi, the president announced that a feasibility study and preliminary design of a new standard gauge line had been completed, from Eduabin to Paga via Bechem, Sunyani, Techiman and Tamale. .
“Next week the final consultations with the interested parties will begin, after which the processes for the acquisition of land will begin. Let me take the opportunity to appeal to the chiefs, who are the custodians of our land, to give their full support to this project. The economic value of all the land, where there is development of the railway line, will increase enormously ”, he added.
In the first four years of his administration, President Akufo-Addo noted that there has been more construction activity in the rail sector than in any period in the country’s history since independence.
“Over the past three years and ten months we have established a solid foundation, which will receive an even greater boost when Nana and the nuclear power plant have four more years to do more for you. My commitment to the development of a new modern standard rail network is unwavering ”, he assured.
