The Minister for Railways Development, John Peter Amewu, has reiterated the government’s commitment to revitalizing the country’s railway sector.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Mr Amewu outlined the government’s ambitious plans to modernize and expand the railway network across the nation.
Highlighting the historical context, the Hohoe MP recalled the formation of the Ministry of Railways and Harbour during the tenure of former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
He noted that the initiative aimed to focus attention on the neglected railway sector, which had suffered from years of under-funding and neglect by successive governments.
“…And you’d agree with me that up until then the railway sector had been run down by successive governments. This Ministry went ahead to decouple the role of a regulator from an operator.
“We had the Ghana Railway Company Ltd, operating, and then Act 2008 (779) was enacted to craft the Ghana Railway Development Authority as the regulator to be responsible for the sector. Also, there was no specific plan for the railway industry so what H.E John Kufuor did at the time was to get a company called Dal to conduct a feasibility study on the Tema- Akosombo in 2007/2008,” he said on Monday.
Mr Amewu addressed claims made by Sammy Gyamfi, the National Democratic Congress’ Communication Officer, claiming that the Tema-Akosombo railway project is “NDC’s baby.”
He clarified that the project’s inception dates back to the framework laid out by former President Kufuor, with a feasibility study conducted by Dal in 2007/2008.
“… People like Sammy Gyamfi [NDC’s Communication Officer] should stop misleading Ghanaians. NDC cannot claim full ownership over the Tema-Akosombo railway project. It was Kufuor’s framework,” he stressed.
He emphasized that while the NDC government had a role in the project’s procurement, President Akufo-Addo’s administration reassessed the plan upon assuming office.
President Akufo-Addo, the Minister stated, recognized the limitations of the original plan, particularly concerning its impact on the integrity of the Akosombo Dam.
Consequently, the government decided to relocate the rail line into the Volta Region.
“Also, ending the rail line at Akosombo did not make sense. President Akufo-Addo insists on sending a rail line to every region in the country.”