Joe Ghartey, Minister of Railways
Government has announced plans to establish a special regulatory authority and agency for the railways sub-sector.
Minister of Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, made the disclosure on Thursday in Accra while bidding farewell to the outgoing Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA), Alidu Abubakar Sadique.
According to the minister, the establishment of the Regulatory Authority would ensure that certain standards are adhered to.
He said due to the huge investment that government intends to make in the sector, there was the urgent need to get a strong regulatory body.
“We are doing things according to the law,” he said.
He said unlike other sectors like the aviation and maritime, the railways sector does not have a regulatory mechanism to ensure compliance to the standards.
Currently, the GRDA acts as both the regulator and developer in the sector as stipulated by the Railways Act 2008, (Act 779), and the minister believes there is a need for separation of powers.
Touching on the proposed agency, the Minister indicated that it would supervise the infrastructural development of the railway sector.
These measures are part of the bigger plan of repositioning the railway subsector to compete favorably with other sectors like the aviation and roads subsectors.
The minister paid glowing tribute to Mr. Sadique and pledged to engage his services even outside active service.
He said Mr. Sadique had served the nation diligently and must be praised for his hard work.
Mr. Ghartey appealed to staff of GRDA to work together in order to improve the sector.
Mr. Sadique thanked the minister for recognising his efforts and pledged to offer his advice when needed.
He is said to have joined the Ghana Railway Corporation in 1986, as a National Service Personnel and rose through the ranks to become the Deputy Chief Engineer.
In 2011, he was transferred to the Ghana Railway Development Authority where he served in served various capacities before assuming the position of CEO in 2013.
By Melvin Tarlue