John Peter Amewu, the Minister for Railways Development in Ghana has announced that contracts for the implementation of the gigantic Ghana-Burkina Faso rail interconnection project that has been in gestation for several years now, will be awarded before the end of the year 2021.
Amewu made the announcement at the end of a session of examination of the files of the phase of final call for tenders for the said project, which was closed on Thursday, October 7, after numerous extensions of deadlines.
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Once awarded the contract will allow for the start of the physical phase implementation of the Ghana-Burkina Faso rail interconnection project.
Companies in the tender home stretch
In the final phase of the tendering process are two consortia, out of the three shortlisted previously that were able to submit technical proposals for the Ghana-Burkina Faso rail interconnection project.
These are the African Global Development, a leading and reputable development, consulting, and contracting firm providing services for medium to large scale infrastructure projects, and Frontline Consortium.
In the home stretch, the Ghanaian Minister of Railway Development said that “after the opening of the tender session, a technical team from the two countries (Ghana and Burkina Faso) will examine the technical proposals with a view to the selection of a partner for the implementation of the project”.
Overview of the Ghana-Burkina Faso rail interconnection project
Conceived back in 2017 from the political will of the Ghanaian and Burkinabé heads of state, the Ghana-Burkina Faso rail interconnection project starts from the port of Tema in Ghana to Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso) a total distance of 1,100 kilometers or its thereabouts.
Built according to the normal gauge of 1,435 millimeters, this network, on which passenger and freight trains will run, will have 55 stations, 10 of which will be in Burkina Faso and the rest in Ghana.
It is expected that the project will be a real stimulus for the interdependent economies of the two West African countries.
