The Government has denied abandoning the Boankra Inland Port Project in the Ejisu-Juaben Municipality of the Ashanti region. The project which started about ten years ago, is expected to ease import and export services of shippers in the northern sector of the country as well as facilitate transportation of goods to other West African states. But the project has been at a standstill, several years of completing the administration block which is the first phase of three phases of developing primary infrastructure. The Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport has been touring the project site to enable the legislators acquaint themselves with developments. The Inland Port project was expected to reduce pressure and congestion at the Tema and Takoradi seaports by facilitating cargo transportation into the hinterlands. The project’s sustainability is said to depend largely on an effective rail system to link the project site to the seaports. However, the collapse of the country’s rail system has been described as a major setback in carrying through the project. About $800 million is needed to revamp the rail system. Minister of State at the presidency and MP for Amenfi West, John Jetuah is attributing the delay in completing the Boankra Inland Port project to the lack of funds. He says revamping the rail system is a capital intensive venture which requires large sums of money. "The railway line from Accra to Boankra is capital intensive", he said, explaining that it is not the intention of the government to abandon it. According to him, the government needs foreign support to complete the project. "Government is looking forward to seeing that such a project which will actually heave a sigh of relief to the people who are coming from the south to north and those who are coming from the north [materialised]", he emphasized. He added that "it is a policy issue, it's a financial issue that we need to solicit before we can actually put in certain measures. "We need to get funds to construct the railway line so that it would be easier for us," Mr. Jetuah explained. Chief Executive of the Ghana Shippers Authority, Kofi Mbiah is confident the project will soon see the light of day as the government attempts to revamp the rail system. He assured that his outfit would continue to pursue programmes and interventions that would sustain the Boankra Inland Port project. Mr. Mbiah however conceded that funding has been the issue in carrying through the project. "I know that funding is the issue, we can’t blame anybody. I know that government is making efforts because there are so many competing things that ought to be done and consequently, one at a time, we are going on", he said. According to Mr. Mbiah, the re-construction of the rail network to link the project site and other parts of the country for which the government has secured funds is a motivating factor for the viability of the Inland port project. "I am hopeful, that now that government has gotten money for the rail, once the rail works take off, you will see the impetus and the interest that will come into this project", he emphasized. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Roads and Transport, Joseph Boampong is overwhelmed by the significance of the inland port project. He assured that the committee in its report would advise the government to support the project he describes as a ‘worthy cause’. Story by: Ohemeng Tawiah/Nhyira Fm-Kumasi/Ghana