FEATURE: The Politics of Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project

Tema, is a well-known city in Ghana. But Mpakadan? It was only recently that the name of this community hit the headlines. And it was all about railway. This small community along the Volta Lake, hosts Tropo Farms, a major stakeholder in the fish-farming sector. Now, it could soon be a big town and a major inland port, linking the North East to the South.

This visionary idea of H.E. Nana Akufo-Addo, to extend the railway from Akosombo to Mpakadan cannot be ignored by well-meaning Ghanaians, because now it will be possible to extend the railway on the Eastern corridor, from Mpakadan, to Hohoe, and through to Jasikan, Dambai, Nkwanta, Bimbilla, Zabzugu, Yendi, Nalerigu, Zebilla and into Burkina Faso, as planned.

Talking about well-meaning Ghanaians, I do not think I will be condemned, if I leave out Sammy Adu Gyamfi, the National Communication Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), for his show of green-envy displayed in his article, Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project: A railway line to nowhere published on Friday, April 19, 2024.

Let me address just four points in his article, namely points, 3, 6, 7 and 10 (I), before I proceed.

In Point 3., Sammy reminded us that the previous NDC government under H.E. John Mahama, in November 2016, secured funding of $398 million from Exim Bank of India for the design and construction of an 84 km railway from Tema to the Lake Volta port of Akosombo. For evidence, he referred readers to (https://www.railway-technology.com/news/newsexim-bank-grants-39833m-for-84km-tema-akosombo-railway-line-5682397/). In truth, the distance is 84.83 km, so an NDC constructed railway will be short 830 meters to the Akosombo port, and this could get almost $3.9 million into private pockets.

What is mind-boggling is that, the picture in the reference above, showed the then Finance Minister Seth Tekper shaking hands with a white guy, who does not look like he is an Indian, while someone looking like his deputy, Mona Quartey, was looking on.Thecare-taker transport minister, or the deputy or the chief director,was completely missing here. So, does it mean that the transport ministry had no hand in that transaction or that picture and story are fake? This is NDC for you.

In point 6., Sammy Gyamfi again reminded us that the current Nana Addo administration, secured an additional loan of $48 million to extend the original 84.83 km railway by 12.77 km from Akosombo to Mpakadan. This is where I noticed some inconsistencies.

The first section of the railway was to go on land from Tema to Akosombo, a distance of 84.83 km and it cost us $398.33 million, at $4,695,626.55 per kilometer. The Nana Addo administration secured an additional loan of $48 million for an additional 12.77 km of railway, which will include construction of a 300-meter bridge.

This is where I get confused. If there was no need for a bridge, it will be obvious that the Nana Addo administration would have secured a loan much less than $48 million. But this is not the main issue here. Nana Addo’s loan cost us $3,758,809.71 per kilometer.

Meaning, if H.E. Nana Addo had secured the loan for the 97.6 km, he would have secured $366,859,827.72 or let us just round it off to $367 million. That will mean, a saving of $31 million.

It is even more frightening if the project actually cost $3,758,809.71 per kilometer, then the Tema-Akosombo railroad should have cost us, $318,859,827.72 or $319 million.  This will mean some $79 million found its way somewhere into private pockets and accounts of NDC persons.

In point 7., Sammy Gyamfi reminds us that Mpakadan has no port. This we know. That does not mean that a port cannot be built there. Because that was planned to happen.

Sammy Gyamfi and the NDC should know that the Tema-Mpakadan project is part of a multi-modal transportation network designed, during the J.A Kufuor administration to improve connectivity between Tema Port and the country’s northern regions.

 It is a component of the first phase of the 1,000km Ghana-Burkina Faso Railway Interconnectivity Project, which will build a railway line between the Port of Tema in Ghana and Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso. This can only come from a truly visionary leader, like J.A. Kufuor, who knows that many lake ports will cut down on cost of goods.

By the way, there is a port in Akosombo, so in what way will rail service being extended to Mpakadan, hinder port services in the former? I do not get it.

And in point 10 (I)., Sammy Gyamfi took the opportunity to do what the NDC and all socialists know best, propagating lies over and over again for it to be accepted as the truth. Who ever told him that the Tema-Akosombo railway project is a legacy of the Mahama led NDC government?

The Tema-Mpakadan railway project, formerly known as the Tema-Akosombo rail project, was proposed as a ‘port-to-port project’ in 2007, by visionary, President J. A. Kufuor.

In 2007, a feasibility study for a multi-modal transit system between Tema and Buipe via Akosombo was commissioned. The Parliament of Ghana approved the Tema-Akosombo railway project, nine years later, in November 2016, and seven years after the NDC came to power.

The project agreement was reviewed under H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s government. The review was ordered due to the potential impact on the Akosombo dam caused by drilling a tunnel through rock to the Akosombo Port.

Other factors that prompted the review included security concerns and a lack of adequate economic activity near the train terminal at the Akosombo port.

The project scope was changed following the review and the route length was increased from 84.83km to 97.6km. The revised scope included the construction of a rail bridge over the Volta River.(Ref: https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/tema-mpakadan-railway-project-ghana/?cf-view)

It must be noted that there was a vibrant railway ministry with a sector minister in charge during the NPP Kufuor administration, which intended to revive and extend rail transport across the country. The NDC came in 2009 and collapsed the ministry and it was not until sevenyears later that it started pretending that it had railway in mind. The NDC has no vision for rail transport in Ghana.

And to state that the railway to Mpakadan is to nowhere, means the NDC does not recognise or consider people living in all communities after Akosombo to Mpakadan and beyond, as worthy people. This is a political suicide for the largest opposition party.

Now, on the current issue which is all about the crash of the train on test run on the Tema-Mpakadan railroad.

To begin with, when the rail tracks were being laid, there were cases of some miscreants in these NDC strongholds, stealing some of the rails, converting them into scraps and selling them. I do not think I remember the NDC condemning such nation wrecking acts. Could it be that some powers from the opposition encouraged these miscreants?

Clearly, some people simply do not want any development in their communities and yet these same people will come shouting that the government has neglected them.

The government had to spend extra money to make sure the tracks were laid.

Then, on the day set aside to test run the new engines, someone decided to use a truck to convey blocks from one side of the rail tracks to the other, by first using the authorised route by way of going under the bridge. But, on his return, he decided to unlawfully use an unauthorised route. That was to go over the rail tracks at an area not marked for vehicles to travel across. Obviously, he got stuck in the middle.

There are some major things that any driver will make sure are in place before using any vehicle. They are, the vehicle’s road worthiness, enough fuel, good spare tyre, jack and wheel spanner, among others.

Unfortunately, this driver claimed he moved the vehicle knowing well that the jack was not in it. So, when he got stuck, he did not call for help but left the vehicle and went home to pick the jack. This is very nauseating.

Obviously, this driver deliberately left the jack behind and pretended to go for it, in order to stay out of harm’s way when the anticipated clash happened.

So, the vehicle was on the rail tracks in a bend, when the new train engine suddenly came by.There was no way the train engineer could have applied brakes, with the obstacle suddenly appearing, only a few meters away. At a moderate speed, a train will need at least 1.6 km, to come to a halt.

If this act was not deliberate then I do not know, what it was. Firstly, we heard some people speaking in the background during an interview that no one should blame the driver. Others were saying the rail tracks have made it impossible for them to go about their normal businesses. And someone also told me that some people poured out heaps of gravels on the tracks to make it impossible for the train to run.

Then,on, Friday April 19. 2024, the day after, the crash, the NDC came out, and made a statement on the Tema-Mpakadan railway, without ever mentioning what happened the day before to even state its position on it. It rather attributed the railway project to its vision and adding that Mpakadan is not worthy of mentioning because it does not exist.

The NDC later came out and chose to blame the Railway Authority for the accident, insisting, it did not do any pre-inspection of the tracks before the train took off to embark on the test run. The Railway Authority debunked this lie and emphatically said that was done.

After trying very hard to obstruct the construction of the railroad by stealing some of the tracks, but failing in the process, these lawless people, perhaps under instigations from politicians they believe in, decided to create this accident, in order to make rail travel look dangerous and unattractive.

This is the politics of Tema-Mpakadan railway system.

By Hon. Daniel Dugan

The post FEATURE: The Politics of Tema-Mpakadan Railway Project appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story