The 99km new railway line from Tema to Mpakadan, near Akosombo in the Asuogyaman District is part of the 1,000km Ghana- Burkina Faso railway interconnectivity project which will link Ghana from Tema to Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou.

Construction work on the first phase of the Tema-Mpakadan railway line which was initially expected to have been completed in June 2020 but the company couldn’t meet the deadline due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This was after 70 staff of the Indian railway construction company, Afconz Infrastructure Limited were infected by the Corona virus at their operational camp B in Kpong in the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality.

After barely two months of managing the pandemic at their camp B at Kpong, on Tuesday 2nd June, 2020 the Eastern Regional Minister, Hon. Eric Kwakya Darfour and a team of health professionals from the Municipal and Regional health Directorates led by Dr. Alberta A. Biritwum-Nyarko, Eastern Regional Director of health services declared the camp Covid-19 Free after several assessments.

Upon that official declaration, the Hon. Eastern Regional Minister gave them the green light to continue the construction work on the 398,000,000 US Dollars Tema to Mpakadan project.

Currently works is steadily progressing as the company is making headway with the railway River crossing at Senchi in the Asuogyaman District.

Mr Joe Ghartey, Railway Minister in one of his previous working visits to the site explained that the 99km rail project was redesigned to accommodate few changes.

The project started from Tema through Afienya, some parts of Yilo Krobo Municipality and the Lower Manya Krobo Municipality before its terminates at Mpakadan, a few kilometres away from Akosombo.

The redesigning of the Tema-Mpakadan rail line in Ghana which involved relocating the rail head from Akosombo to Mpakadan became necessary according to the Minister following assessment of the effects of construction works on the Akosombo dam.

“Blasting of rocks and other heavy activities at the Akosombo port which is 60 metres close to the Akosombo dam could pose a great risk to the safety of the dam hence the need to move the port to Mpakadan,” said Mr Joe Ghartey.

The project is also part of the Ghana-Burkina Faso railway line which would pass through the Volta and Northern Regions to connect the two countries.

The Railway Development Minister stated that feasibility studies were presently being done on the Ghana-Burkina Faso railway line and would be completed in November this year. More over, procurement processes has begun and with about four companies expressing interest. Works on the project is likely to commence in the second quarter of next year.