Construction of the 1000km railway lines which would connect Ghana to Burkina Faso is expected to begin in January 2022, as procurement processes for a private investment partner have entered its final stage.

Three pre-qualified bidders for the Ghana-Burkina Faso Railway Interconnectivity Project have been issued Request for Proposals documents.

These bidders namely China No 10 Engineering Company, African Global Group and Frontline Advisors are expected to present their Technical and Financial proposals after 90 days for evaluation and an eventual selection following the recommendation of Transaction Advisors, TEAM Engineering of Italy and Vision Consult Limited of Ghana.

Speaking at a Bidders’ Conference held in Accra on Thursday, April 22, Minister for Railway Development, John-Peter Amewu revealed that the last quarter of 2021 has been agreed for the completion of negotiations for the commencement of physical construction works.

“The two countries further agreed that in the first quarter of 2022, we should be able to see actual construction of this project. We can confidently report to out two presidents that the project is on course,” he said.

The Minister of Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety of Burkina Faso, Vincent Dabilgou underpinned the important role this project will have in Africa’s new era of trade and expressed the enthusiasm of his country to see its success.

The Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Railway Development Authority, Yaw Owusu said the rail project which is expected to take about 5 years to complete, will not only preserve Ghana’s roads, but accelerate movement from the Port of Tema to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso massively.