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Ghana in a lead in Railway
network to link ECOWAS countries
Accra, July 5, GNA - Ghana has already
taken a lead in rehabilitating and expanding its railway
network system, to pave way for the Trans-ECOWAS
interconnecting railway project in member States.
According to Ms. Sophia Horner-Sam, Deputy Minister of
Harbours and Railways, government had signed a contract with
Peatrak Company Limited (an engineering company), to begin
the first phase of construction of new rail lines from Accra
through Tema to Kumasi.
She said the project would be expanded from Kumasi to Paga
in the Upper East Region, to link the country to
Burkina-Faso.
Ms. Horner-Sam, who was addressing experts at a national
information seminar on the progress on a feasibility study
on the Trans-ECOWAS interconnecting Railway project on
Wednesday, said rail transportation could become the most
viable option to road transportation, provided the costs
were put under control.
The seminar, which brought together experts and engineers,
would discuss, among other things, the content of the study,
a presentation of the segments affected by the study in
Ghana and the mode of data collection and was expected to
educate stakeholders on the project so as to receive better
imputs and add-ons to the scope of the study.
Ms. Horner-Sam said the rehabilitation of existing Western
Railway lines from Takoradi to Kumasi through to Hamile in
the Upper West Region, were all significant efforts towards
ensuring a sustainable sub-regional integration.
"This can be achieved through the implementation of concrete
projects and programmes aimed at developing the region in a
comprehensive and interdependent way," she said.
The Deputy Minister noted that coming on the heels of the
African Union Summit, which had the vision of a united
Africa, called for dynamic sub-regional organisations, which
were committed and result-oriented.
She explained that the commitment by member states to the
mobilisation of resources and the development of the railway
industry in Africa was in line with the transport objectives
for fulfilling the NEPAD Vision of reducing delays in cross
boarder movements of people, goods and services.
"It will also promote cross boarder trade and economic
activity through improved land transport linkages and
improve air passenger and freight linkages across Africa's
sub-region," she said.
Ms. Horner-Sam said for Ghana, pragmatic policies such as
the development of a comprehensive national transport policy
was operational to pursue strategic objectives that ensured
safer, reliable, effective, efficient and fully integrated
transport system that was responsive to the needs of
producers and consumers.
She said if well developed, the rail system had the
potential of becoming a vital part of the country's
transport system carrying a larger portion of travellers and
freight on the busiest transport corridors of the country
and beyond, while reducing cost.
She urged participants to provide realistic and practical
information that would ensure an effective railway system in
the sub-Region.
Dr Seini Modi Salifou, CIMA-UMA Expert (an Engineering
Company) explained that the 14-month feasibility study,
which started in November 2006 was carried out in 10 ECOWAS
member countries, including Togo, Nigeria, Niger, Cote
d'Ivoire, Burkina-Faso, Senegal and Ghana and was expected
to end in December this year.
He said the study realised that most of the countries
already had existing rail lines that would make the
interconnectivity much easier, though about 17 more new
lines had been recommended to be developed to make the
process complete.
Dr Salifou stressed that as the mandated consultants of the
Project by the ECOWAS Secretariat, it considered the study
to be of paramount importance as it must reveal the interest
of railway transportation and demonstrate both technical and
economic justification of the investments required for these
infrastructures.
He expressed the hope that stakeholders would have a better
understanding of the objectives and content of the study to
be able to contribute effectively and also called for
realistic practicable suggestions to make the study a
success.
GNA
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