Peter Amewu, Minister of Railway Development
A REQUEST for Proposal has been issued to three consortia for the construction of the 1,000 kilometres Ghana-Burkina Faso Railway line intended to improve commerce between the two countries.
The successful bidders who were selected from 20 entities that expressed interest in the interconnectivity project included the China Railway Construction Engineering Limited, Frontline Consortium and African Global Development.
Bidders have a 90-day window which ends in July 2021, to submit their proposals which would enable transaction advisors and joint committee of experts from both countries to conduct due diligence during the bid evaluation process expected to take place by the end of August 2021.
Speaking at the end of a consultative meeting between bidders and representatives of both countries on Thursday, Minster of Railway Development, John Peter Amewu, said the development of an effective and efficient means of transportation was key to accelerating the socio-economic growth and development of both West African countries.
He hinted that the completion of negotiations for the commencement of physical construction work would be possible by the end of November 2021.
With the assistance of transaction advisors, TEAM Engineering and Vision Consult limited, a front-end engineering design as well as feasibility studies that engaged various stakeholders across both countries was carried out and completed in June 2020 as part of the first phase of project development.
Currently under construction is the route for the railway line from Tema through to Mpakadan. The line then moves from Mpakadan to Kpeve, Hohoe, Jasikan, Nkwanta, Bimbila, Yendi, Tamale, Walewale, Bolgatanga, Navrongo and Paga.
The minister also said, “The alignment also includes a branch line from Yendi to Sheini, to facilitate the exploitation of the huge iron ore deposits that have been discovered.”
He noted the railway masterplan in line with government’s policy of connecting all regional capitals by rail has made provision for connection to the regional capital cities of Ho, Dambai and Nalerigu.
In Burkina Faso, the railway line would go through major towns such as Po, Zabre, Tenkodogo, Manga and Ouagadougou.
Mr. Amewu reiterated government’s commitment to complete the project and applauded the bidders for believing in the transparent procurement process.
Minister of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety of Burkina Faso, Vincent Timbindi Dabilgou, urged the bidders to provide value for money proposals that would require the full-scale deployment of resources and expertise to ensure both countries benefited from a five-year project that would be a lasting legacy in the West African sub-region.
By Issah Mohammed