Tema-Mpakadan railway project in final stages – Eastern Regional Minister

The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour says the Tema-Mpakadan rail line is in its final stages.

The Ministry for Railways Development said in June 2020 that works on the railway line will not be completed on schedule as expected.

The ongoing rail project was supposed to be completed in August 2020 but was halted after 70 workers on the construction team tested positive for COVID-19.

Speaking at the Nation Building updates program at the Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Minister stated that the project which started in Tema has reached Mpakadan in the Eastern Region.

“The Eastern Region stretch of the Tema- Mpakadan Railway track costing $230 million has reached Mpakadan. It will greatly boost the local economy when it is opened.”

Still, on transportation, the Minister added that: “525.5km of the total trunk road network (1’550km) in the Region is currently undergoing various improvement works. 50km of town roads are also under various enhancement works,” he added.

About the Tema to Mpakadan railway

The Tema-Mpakadan rail line is part of the 1,000km Ghana-Burkina Faso Railway Interconnectivity Project which will link Ghana from Tema to Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou.

In December 2019, the Minister disclosed that 28 kilometres of track have been laid, with the contractor assuring that 40 more kilometres of the track will be completed by the end of this year.

The two countries had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in January 2017 in Ouagadougou to kick-start the project.

According to the plan, some 800km of the railway line will be in Ghana’s territory while the remaining 200km will be on Burkinabe soil.