Railway Development Ministry steps up efforts to acquire land for railway expansion

As part of the Government’s efforts and commitment to revamping the railway sector, the Ministry of Railway Development is acquiring land to develop new railway infrastructure and expand existing ones.

The Ministry, through its Consultant, is, therefore, working with the Lands Commission to facilitate the acquisition of the needed land.

In that regard, a workshop was held in Kumasi, which brought together staff from the Land Valuation Division of the Lands Commission from all the sixteen regions of the country.

Benjamin Arthur, Director, Land Valuation Division and acting Deputy Executive Secretary (Operations), who opened the workshop, challenged the staff of the Lands Commission to work hard to meet the expected timelines of the Government.

He noted that “Railway development is of prime importance to the President and once we have been called to play a role in its development, we must deliver without fail.”

Dr. Asenso-Gyambibi, a Consultant on the project, in a presentation, indicated that plans were far advanced to acquire land for the Ghana – Burkina Faso Railway Line.

Similar acquisitions will take place for the development of the Central Spine, which starts from Kumasi to Tamale through Sunyani and Techiman as well as the Trans ECOWAS Line (Elubo to Aflao).

He said due to the changes in design from narrow gauge to standard gauge, additional land was required for the existing line (Eastern Line, Western Line, and Central Line) where the government had already acquired the right-of-way in the past.

There was a practical demonstration in the use of modern surveying tools such as hand-held Global Positioning System (GPS), which should enable the team from the Lands Commission to undertake their task with greater efficiency and ease.