Minister of Railway Development, John Peter Amewu, has revealed that construction work on the Tema-Mpakadan railway line is 95 percent complete.
According to him, he is in constant contact with the Minister of Transport, Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, about also redeveloping the railway line’s terminus into a modern port.
During a site inspection, the Railway Development Minister told the press that when completed, the project will greatly reduce road traffic and promote economic activity from Tema to other parts of the Volta and Eastern regions.
“I am very impressed with the progress of work and as the contractors have indicated, we’re within the schedule to complete it by the end of the year. Talks are ongoing with my colleague Minister for Transport to make use of the ending point at Mpakadan which has become a concern,” he is quoted by Joy Business.
“It is important that we need to have some level of collaboration quickly to see what to do at the port of Mpakadan. Otherwise, it will be a train leading to nowhere. Because this project completion will be completed sooner than expected, hence that port needs to be completed soon,” the minister added.
Peter Amewu is also optimistic that the railway project’s completion will increase the activity and movement of traders transporting commodities along the route.
The Tema-Mpakadan Railway project will extend approximately 90 kilometres from Tema Port to Mpakadan in Akosombo in the Eastern area.
However, the project’s contractor, Afcons Infrastructure Limited, has stated that efforts are being made to guarantee that the project is completed and handed over to the Ghanaian government by the end of 2022.
When completed, the railway line will connect Ghana from Tema to Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou.
Source: The Independent Ghana