Ghana’s Minister for Railways Development and lawmaker for Essikado, Joe Ghartey, has announced Ghanaians are about to see a historic smile on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s face just as Nigerians did when President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled a light railway system in Abuja this month with a smile.
This is because construction of a first-of-its-kind modern rail network, according to him, is about to begin from Accra all through the country and beyond Paga, a border town in the Upper East region, to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
He said a joint committee of experts and public officeholders from Ghana and Burkina Faso, which was tasked to come up with a master plan for the project, was close bringing a close to its feasibility steps and that a pleading knock would soon come to the doors of traditional authorities to help provide land for the “Tema-Ouagadougou Rail Line”.
The minister mentioned this Wednesday in the Upper East region during an international engagement that saw in attendance paramount traditional authorities, heads of departments and agencies, executives of Ghana’s governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) as well as government officials from both Ghana and Burkina Faso.
“If you google Abuja Light Rail, you’ll see the President of Nigeria smiling nicely in the train. We want to see the President of Ghana, the President of Burkina Faso sitting in the train and also smiling; then, we know that we have done our job. We are giving this contract. We’ll sign an MOU. It’s our aim that we’ll sign the contract before the end of this year so that they’ll start the project.
“I have come here today to tell you that the vision of the President of Ghana, the vision of the President of Burkina Faso is that there will be a railway line from Accra to Ouagadougou. We have reached a point where we can say with confidence that, if it is God’s will, there will be no turning back,” affirmed Mr. Ghartey.
The rail line, as stated by the minister, will stretch from Tema through Ho, Hohoe, Jasikan, Nkwanta, Bimbilla, Yendi, Tamale, Walewale, Bolgatanga, Navrongo and Paga to Ouagadougou. Government, he added, had signed a memorandum of understanding with the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the same company said to have constructed the recent rail line in Abuja and a similar one from Ethiopia to Djibouti.
Train to compete with Aircraft — Railways Minister
The committee, on the word of the minister, is tasked to come up with a railway system designed to compete with the aviation sector, one that can transport passengers from Paga to Accra (an 815-kilometre distance) within 5 hours.
“We are competing with the aviation sector. I’m also challenging you, not just the chiefs but also the community at large and the business community, to see everywhere the train will stop as a business opportunity because it brings thousands of people to one place and with the same thousands of people there is so much that can be done.
“We have a plan that we’ll be bringing to Paga, for example, to do a major modern international container terminal at Paga where we are going to be moving across the border and our officials from customs and so on can interact and do business in a place that fits the standards [as seen] all over the world,” he said.
No rational human being should talk of compensation— Elated Chiefs
The chiefs present enthused about the socio-economic benefits the region stood to gain from the expected railway network and guaranteed they would ensure land was released for the execution of the project.
“We appreciate the efforts of government in ensuring that rail transport ran through from the capital to the northern part of this country and to Burkina Faso. We are aware that rail transport is the safest transport we can have. It would ease transport problems and also reduce accidents on our roads. And much as we are all aware, goods and services, especially foodstuffs, would be able to reach their right destinations when we are able to put this rail transport in action.
“I don’t think the land would be a problem. I don’t think that any rational human being should be talking of compensation for land. We the chiefs are prepared to dialogue with landowners and I also hope we do serious sensitisation so that people would be aware of the project before it takes off,” stated the Vice President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs and Paramount Chief of Bongo, Naba Baba Salifu Atamale Lemyaruum, on behalf of the chiefs.
Railway line will link us to the Sea— Burkina Faso Government
For a non-coastal Burkina Faso, the railway project means a much-wanted improved access to the sea. The Secretary General of Burkina Faso’s Railway Ministry, Issaka Sigue, highlighted this when he took his turn to address the gathering.
“As you all know, Burkina Faso is a landlocked country. We don’t have access to the sea. Both presidents, therefore, agreed to do whatever it takes to make sure that Burkina Faso has access to the sea.
“This is going to make sure that both countries come closer, and that will help the economies of both countries. We hope next time we will not come to Bolgatanga by car road but by train,” stated the Secretary General.
Several speakers, including the Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari, to the delight of the audience, underlined the gains to expect during and after the execution of the project— such as job creation, development in places where the rail line would be laid through and intercommunity linkage among others. But somebody in the hall had fears the project would be tossed aside should there be a new government in Ghana after the 2020 polls.
“The only way to ensure the project succeeds to a logical end,” replied a Deputy Minister for Railways Development, Andy Appiah-Kubi, wearing a broad smile, “is to keep this party (the NPP) in power.” His remarks threw the hall into laughter as the event came to a close.
Source: Ghana/Starrfmonline.com/103.5FM/Edward Adeti
