The Tema-Mpakadan Standard Gauge Railway Line (SGRL) and Diesel Multiple Unit trains (DMU) was on Friday inaugurated in Tema by the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The $447 million 97.6-kilometre railway line project including a 300-metre bridge over the Volta River is to, among others things, play a critical part of a multi-modal transport system that integrates rail, road and inland transport, improving logistics efficiency and boosting trade, particularly in agriculture and port operations. • President Akufo-Addo (middle) supported by Mr John Peter Amewu (left), and Mr Yohane Amarh Ashitey (right) to cut the tape to inaugurate the Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project The project is the first section of Ghana-Burkina Faso interconnectivity project connecting Tema, Ghana's key port city, to Mpakadan, aimed at strengthening links with neighbouring countries.
President Akufo-Addo in his inaugural address, said the first ever SGRL in Ghana, symbolised the bold strides of government in modernising the transport infrastructure to drive the economic growth of the country.
He explained that the project was part of the broader vision to create a modern railway network to support economic growth and regional integration. "Since 2017, the government has placed railway development at the forefront of its agenda, recognising it as a catalyst for industrialisation, trade facilitation and socioeconomic transformation".