Procurement process under Ghana-Burkina railway project on hold

Procurement process under Ghana-Burkina railway project on hold

The procurement process under the Ghana-Burkina railway project has been placed on hold, the Railway Development Minister, Joe Ghartey has hinted.

This has become necessary since government is yet to settle on the route for the mainline, which would connect the two countries, out of three options available and currently being considered.

Speaking at a “Meet the Press” engagement, the Minister for Railway Development, Joe Ghartey said, “We have put a hold on the procurement process. Because, in order to do the last stage of procurement, the people (Consortium) must be able to tell you how much the line is going to cost and remember the lowest cost may not be the best.”

“However, in order for the people to tell us how much the line would cost, he (Consortium) must know where the line would pass,” Ghartey added.

The project which is to be on a Built Operate and Transfer basis is an idea for both countries to enhance economic activity, of which each country would take up 50 percent of the cost of consultants working on the feasibility studies on Tema to Burkina Faso rail line via Akosombo in the Eastern Region.

“We didn’t wait for the feasibility before starting the process of procurement, because, when you start the process of procurement, there are certain information which are basic, that which could be used to start with process of procurement,” Ghartey said.

The procurement process initial began with 14 companies that expressed interest, of which four have been selected for consideration.

The primary objective of the railway interconnectivity project is to facilitate trade and development between the two countries through an efficient transportation service for both freight and passengers which falls in line with Ghana’s Railway Master Plan.

The project when completed will link the two countries through a rail line from Ghana’s Eastern Corridor. The first phase of the project is the development of a 99 km railway from the Tema Harbour to Mpakadan Port along the Volta Lake.

The latter phase of the railway project is expected to link the Mpakadan Port to Paga through Buipe and then to Burkina Faso.

The Minister noted that the Tema-Mpakadan railway line which is scheduled to be completed next year marks a significant milestone in the construction of the Accra-Ouagadougou line.

The project is estimated to cost about US$ 230 million.

Apart from the line helping move cargo between Ghana and its landlocked northern neighbours, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, there will be passenger fleet as part of the project.

Accra-Ouagadougou route

The proposed railway line is expected to go through Hohoe, Jasikan, Nkwanta, Bimbilla to Yendi and Sheni. It will then continue to Tamale, Walewale, Bolgatanga, Navrongo and then link Burkina Faso at the Paga-Dakota border, approximately 700km from Mpakadan.

In line with the policy of the Government to link all regional capitals to the new modern railway network, the proposed alignment will also link the capitals of the Volta and Oti Regions.

The Burkina Faso leg of the proposed line starts from Ouagadougou, Kombissiri, Manga, Beguedo, Garango, Tenkodogo, Bagre, Zabre, Po

Source: goldstreetbusiness.com