Partner for Ghana-Burkina Faso railway project to be selected by Dec.-Mr Amewu

The partner for the execution of the Ghana-Burkina Faso Railway Interconnectivity Project from Tema Harbour to Ouagadougou, will be selected before the end of the year, says the Minister of Railway Development, John Peter Amewu.

He added that the selection of the partner before the end of the year, would pave way for the project to take off by the first quarter of next year.

Mr Amewu disclosed during a bid opening session for the technical proposals from prospective bidders for the project, indicated that of the three partners  which qualified among 26 companies for the initial bidding process, only two participated in the final bidding process.

At the end of the deadline for the submission of bids yesterday, two companies were able to submit technical proposals for the project.

The companies are African Global Development and Frontline Consortium.

Bidding for the project was opened on April, 22, 2021 and was supposed to elapse on July 21, 2021, but had to be postponed to October 7, 2021 due to request by the bidders for extension of time due to travel restriction as a result of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The multi-billion dollar project is expected to be Build and Operate and Transfer approach.

Mr Amewu said both countries had reached a significant milestone in the procurement processes for the project, adding that the two countries are both using a common Transaction Advisor, Messrs Team Engineering S.P.A and Vision Consult Limited, who are assisting in carrying out detailed feasibility studies including the front-end engineering design for the project.

“Transaction Advisors are also playing a lead role in the second phase of the project development, including the procurement process for the private sector partner,” he said.

Mr Amewu said with the continuous support of the Joint Committee of Experts which had been in place since December 17, 2017, the countries had targeted to complete the preparatory phase of the project before the end of the year to  pave way for the commencement of physical construction works in the first quarter of 2022.

He said after the opening of the bid session, a Technical Team from both countries would go into the technical proposals for the selection of a partner to construct the project.

“I wish to assure the good people of Ghana and Burkina Faso that, as we have exhibited so far, the procurement process will continue in an open, competitive and transparent manner in line with the applicable laws of Ghana and Burkina Faso to ensure that the most technically, and financially competitive bidder is selected as the preferred partner for the development of this strategic partner to facilitate the socio-economic advancement of our two countries,” Mr Amewu, said.

He said the governmentsof  both countries were committed  to ensuring that the project came into fruition for the mutual benefits of the two countries.

The Minister of Transport, Road Safety and Urban Mobility of Burkina Faso, Vincent Dabilglou said the project would promote and facilitate trade as well as movement between the two countries.

He pledged his country’s commitment and support to the project.

The government of Ghana and Burkina Faso led by their respective heads of state in 2017 agreed on a rail line between the Tema Harbour and Burkina Faso, with the vision to link the two countries to facilitate trade and accelerate economic development in line with the ECOWAS Treaty of 1975 which weeks to promote the free movement of people and goods.

Consequently, a Joint Committee of Experts for the Ghana-Burkina Faso Railway Interconnectivity Project was subsequently established in Ouagadougou in January, 2018 through a Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.

Based on the advice of the Joint Committee, the scope of the project will involve a line from Mpakadan where the ongoing construction of railway line from the Tema Port terminates along the Volta Lake and the proposed railway line will then pass through Ho, Hohoe, Jasikan, Nkwanta, Bimbilla to Yendi, spanning 468 kilometres.

The proposed line will then continue to Yendi, Tamale, Walewale, Bolgatanga, Navrongo and links Burkina Faso at the Paga-Dakola border, spanning 212 kilometres.

BY KINGSLEY ASARE