President Akufo-Addo cuts sod for Kumasi-Obuasi Railway Line

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has cut the sod for work to start on the 83.5-kilometre standard gauge railway line from Kumasi to Obuasi in the Ashanti Region, which forms part of a new Western Line project.

The project involves the construction of a six-kilometre line between Adum and Kaase, estimated to cost $48 million and expected to be completed within 12 months.

The President explained that apart from a 15-km narrow gauge railway line from Sekondi to Takoradi via Kojokrom built between 2012 and 2017, no kilometre of railway line had been added.

“Upon assumption of office, I was determined to change this statistics because I believe that the presence of an efficient, effective railway system is critical to the progress, prosperity and development of our nation.

“This led to the decision to establish the Ministry of Railways Development, with the dynamic Mr Joe Ghartey, the Member of Parliament for Essikadu Ketan, at the helm of affairs. By all accounts, this has started yielding fruits,” he said.

According to him, the start of the project was a clear manifestation of the government’s policy to grow and develop the country’s railway sector.

Importance

President Akufo-Addo said the Western railway line was critical to the successful establishment of the new bauxite and aluminium industry being promoted by the government.

The Sheini and the Oppon Manso iron ore deposits, which would form the basis of an iron and steel industry, according to the President, required a modern railway network to transport the ore and processed raw material.

Additionally, he said, work was also progressing on the Tema to Mpakadan railway line, which is the first phase of the Tema-Paga section of the Ghana-Burkina railway interconnectivity project.

“This railway line has branch lines to Sheini and Oppon Manso. The exploitation of the bauxite deposits at Atiwa, as part of the nascent bauxite and aluminium industry, will also benefit from the construction of a new railway line,” he added.

Inland port

President Akufo-Addo also said soon work would commence on the Boankra Inland Port, following the approval by Parliament of a $300-million concession facility

The economic viability of the project, which was started in 1995, he said, would be enhanced by the construction of the railway line, adding that “a new standard gauge railway line from Accra to Tema to Kumasi is a must, and I expect contracts to be signed for the commencement of work before the December elections”.

He also said feasibility studies and preliminary design of a new standard gauge line from Eduabin to Paga through Bechem, Sunyani, Techiman and Tamale had been completed.

“Next week, final stakeholder consultations will commence, after which processes for land acquisition will begin. Let me take the opportunity to appeal to the chiefs who are custodians of our land to give their full support to this project. The economic value of lands where there is development of the railway line will greatly be enhanced,” he added.

Mr Ghartey said the construction of the Adum-Kaase line was historic, as it was the first time in the history of the country that a wholly-owned local firm was undertaking such a project in the country.

According to him, the contractor, David Walters Company Limited, had been in the railway construction industry for the past 25 years.

He said Kumasi would be the centre of the railway industry in the country, with links to other regions, adding that currently work was progressing in five out of the former 10 regions of Ghana.

Gratitude

The Kaasehene, Nana Mensah Bonsu, expressed gratitude to the President for helping to revive the railway centre and make Kaase the hub of the rail industry in Kumasi.

He said even though the area was the industrial hub of Kumasi, most people were unemployed because of the collapse of companies.

Nana Bonsu, therefore, appealed to the President to help resurrect the collapsed companies for the area to regain its lost glory as the most vibrant community in the region.

Background

Parliament, earlier this year, approved a €500-million facility for the construction of a new standard gauge line from the Takoradi Harbour to Kojokrom and from Manso to Huni Valley.

As of January 2017, out of the 947 kilometres of colonial narrow-gauge rail network bequeathed the country by the colonialists, only about 10 per cent was operational.