COVID-19 Cannot Stop The Completion Of Tema-Mpakadan Rail Project - Contractor Assures

The contractor working on the Tema-Mpakadan Rail Project has assured President Nana Akufo-Addo that the project will be completed on schedule even though the COVID-19 pandemic is still around.

AFCONS Infrastructure Limited is the company working on the Tema-Mpakadan rail project.

Vice President of AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, Udai Veer Singh, gave the assurance in a welcome remark at a ceremony held on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, at Old Akrade.

President Akufo-Addo was at Old Akrade to inspect the construction of a bridge across the Volta River and Tema-Mpakadan Rail Project.

According to Mr Singh, the outbreak of the coronavirus caused a slow down in the project for three months.

However, he said, the pandemic was not peculiar to Ghana and as such there cannot be an excuse to delay the project.

He noted that 65 kilometres out of the total 97 kilometres making up the project have been completed.

He said in the coming month, 10 more kilometres will be completed.

The contract for the Tema-Mpakadan initially Tema-Akosombo rail project was signed on November 18, 2016.

The project started in July 2018 with a stipulated three years completion time frame (July 2021 completion date).

President Akufo-Addo who was led by Minister of Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, to inspect the project, thanked AFCONS Infrastructure Limited for carrying out “significant” work on the track.

Recounting his tour of the rail project a year ago, Mr. Akufo-Addo said “significant advances have been made.”

He noted that the assurance from the AFCONS group about completing the project on schedule was “the most comforting statement” he had heard in a long time.