Ministry Of Railway Development Seeks Additional Land For Railway Expansion

As part of the Government’s commitment to revamp the railway sector, the Ministry of Railway Development is seeking to acquire land to enable it develop new railway infrastructure and expand existing ones and to achieve this, Ministry, through its consultant, is working closely with the Lands Commission to facilitate the acquisition

of the needed land. In this regard, workshop was held on the Wednesday, 29 September 2021 at the Yegoala Hotel in the Kumasi. The workshop brought together the staff from the Land Valuation Division of the the Lands Commission from all sixteen regions of the country. Mr Benjamin Arthur, Director, Land Valuation Division and

the Acting Deputy Executive Secretary Operations, who opened the workshop, challenged staff of the Lands Commission to work hard in order to meet the expected timelines of the government. He also noted that Railway development is of prime importance to President and once we've been called to play a role in its development,

we must also deliver without fail. Asenso Gyambibi, a consultant on the project, in a presentation, indicated that plans are far advanced to also acquire land for the Ghana Burkina Faso Railway Line. Similar acquisitions would also take place and for the development of the Central Spine which starts from the Kumasi to Tamale

through the Sunyani and Techiman as well as the Trans ECOWAS Line (Elubo to Aflao). Furthermore, by virtue of changes in design from the narrow gauge to standard gauge, additional land is required for the existing line (Eastern Line, Western Line and Central Line) where government had already acquired the right of way in the

past. As part of the workshop, there was a practical demonstration of the use of modern surveying tools such as hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS), which will enable the team from Lands Commission to undertake their task with greater efficiency and ease. A number of the over 100 participants who were engaged after event expressed satisfaction about the knowledge and insight received and then pledged their support to also ensure the speedy acquisition of land for railway expansion.