Minister for Informaton Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has disclosed that the Accra Sky Train project, which was scheduled to start operating this August, has not started.
The government of Ghana signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November, 2019 with South African firm Africa Investment (AI) to construct the Accra Sky Train project.
Railways Development Minister Joe Ghartey said then that the Sky Train Project was the solution to the increasing traffic congestion in Accra and that the first sky train station would start operations in August, 2020.
With the timelines having elapsed and no evidence of a sky train station in the country, Mr. Oppong Nkrumah said even though the timelines may have been missed, there is enough infrastructural development in the railway sector.
“Yes, they may not have met their timelines but does that mean nothing else has happened in the railway area? I don’t think so,” he said on Covid-19 360 on TV3 Wednesday, August 19.
The government, in a presentation by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia Tuesday, listed a number of projects it has undertaken in the railway sector, including the completed rehabilitation of the 30 km Accra–Tema, the 33 km Achimota–Nsawam, and the 56 km Kojokrom–Tarkwa narrow gauge lines.
There was, however, no mention of the Accra Sky Train project in the presentation, which has subsequently been made available on www.deliverytracker.gov.gh.
But Mr Oppong Nkrumah says he is not too sure if the project was specifically mentioned but says it could be under the railway projects that are in the pipeline.
“I’m not sure I heard it being mentioned specifically but that would be one of the projects under railway development and even under railway development a lot of work has been done and was put out there both on the railway database and at the presentation yesterday,” he said.
The Minister explained he is not sure the project has started and that “I don’t think it will be ready this year”.
Mr. Nkrumah said he is unable to say why the project delayed and would have to get further and better particulars from the Railways Development Ministry.
He insists there is a lot of evidence to show that more work has been done in the sector under the Akufo-Addo-led government than the previous government.
Source: 3news.com|Ghana