In line with his 'Buy Ghana First' commitment to boost local production, the Vice President and Presidential Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has revealed that his administration plans to use locally produced materials for his mega railway development plan.

Dr Bawumia, on his tour of the Ashanti Region, has been highlighting how his administration intends to prioritise railway development alongside road construction, with a special focus on major railway lines from Accra to Kumasi through to Paga, Kumasi to Takoradi, and others.

Stressing his commitment to executing this vision as President, Dr Bawumia also spoke of his quest to have the materials for railway development produced in Ghana to create more jobs.

"I don't want us to import the materials for the rails, the concrete slabs and others," Dr Bawumia said in Agona, during his engagement with stakeholders of the Afigya Sekyere East Constituency.

"So I have discussed with UMaT (University of Mines and Technology) that they should come up with a way that the materials we are going to use to construct the railways are made in Ghana here," he said.

Dr Bawumia expressed surprise that even concrete slabs for rail construction are imported, insisting that this should not be the case.

"We need to produce them here. It surprises me that even concrete slabs for rail development are imported from China. How?"

"We have so many resources in Ghana but we have not really been able to tap into them to develop our country."

"We won't import again. We have the technology and we have the capacity. Building the railway lines will create many jobs, but we have to develop the materials here and use our people. We have the capacity."

Dr Bawumia reiterated his commitment to his promise to develop the railway sector, alongside continuing the massive road expansion by the Akufo-Addo government.

"Our government has focused on roads and it is important for me to continue what the Akufo-Addo government has done. But when I come, I want to give a special focus to railways. Accra to Kumasi all the way to Paga is a strategic line. Also from Kumasi to Takoradi and Ejisu to Eduade. They will all help us."