The government is actively exploring private sector participation to revitalise Ghana’s struggling railway sector, amid a crippling strike by workers over poor conditions and delayed salaries.

Speaking on The Pulse on JoyNews on Wednesday, 14 May 2025, Acting CEO of the Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA), Dr Fredrick Appoh, said the government’s strategy involves a two-pronged approach centred on infrastructure completion and market engagement.

“Our national vision, in terms of this particular government, is to ensure two things,” Dr Appoh explained. “First, we are about to commence the Tema-Mpakadan project and will soon conduct market sounding for private sector participation on the Tema-Mpakadan operation.”

The second phase, he said, will focus on attracting private investors to extend the Western Railway Line. “We are conducting similar market assessments for the stretch from Huni Valley through Dunkwa to Boankra, and from Dunkwa to Nyinahin via Awaso,” he added.

Dr Appoh stressed the long-term value of railway systems, noting their 50-year lifespan and ability to take pressure off Ghana’s road network, particularly in resource-rich areas.

“All these could be moved by rail from the mining sites to the ports,” he said. “Our objective is to reduce road destruction and increase efficiency.”

He confirmed that work is already ongoing to link the current end of the Western Line to Nsuta, just 15 kilometres away, to facilitate manganese haulage by rail.

“This is not only about operational efficiency but completing key infrastructure that enables the transportation of heavy resources by rail, not road,” he noted.

Meanwhile, workers of the Ghana Railway Company Limited remain on strike, demanding better conditions and the privatisation of the sector, which they say has been plagued by mismanagement for years. “We won’t return to work until our concerns are fully addressed,” the workers have vowed.