Accra, Dec. 21, -Ghana and Burkina Faso have agreed to
constitute a 20-member expert committee to facilitate the development of a
railway interconnectivity from Accra to Ouagadougou.
The two countries will each
contribute 10 members to the committee.
The committee is expected to
develop an action plan and timelines for implementation and has three months,
commencing January 2018, within which to complete its assignment and submit a
report.
The meetings of the committee
will be held twice every month and the venue alternated between Ghana and
Burkina Faso.
A communiqué was issued on
Thursday at the end of a three-day meeting between the two countries for the
establishment of permanent joint experts committee for railway
interconnectivity between Ghana and Burkina Faso.
The communiqué was signed by Mr
Joe Ghartey for Ghana and Mr Suleymane Soulama, the Minister of Transport,
Urban Mobility and Road Safety of Burkina Faso signed for his country.
According to Mr Ghartey, both parties agreed to review the existing Protocol
Agreement on the establishment of a joint committee of railway experts between
Ghana and Burkina Faso dated May 17, 2004, revise and confirm the terms of
reference for the joint experts committee.
He said both parties have agreed
to pursue rigorous investment promotion, conduct market research to test
investor interest and attract strategic investors to implement the project.
Both countries have also agreed
to accelerate the procurement process using the International Competitive
Bidding method of procurement as provided by the National Laws to meet the 2020
timeframe and adopt the build, operate and transfer model of public-private
partnerships.
Mr Ghartey said the ongoing
project at the Tema Ports would enhance transit trade between the two
countries, adding that, the development of rail interconnectivity from the Tema
Port to Ouagadougou will further improve the transport and logistics chain on
the corridor.
Mr Soulama pledged the commitment
of Burkina Faso to collaborate with Ghana to implement the railway
interconnectivity project from Accra to Ouagadougou.
A six-member delegation from
Burkina Faso, led by Mr Soulama, visited Ghana from Monday December 18 to 22 to
hold bilateral discussions with Mr Ghartey on the establishment of a railway
interconnectivity project.
The discussion was to facilitate
the implementation of the project to boost trade and development between Ghana
and Burkina Faso.
Ghana’s team was made up of
representatives from the Ministry of Railways Development, Ministry of
Transport, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ministry of
Finance, and the Ministry of Justice and Attorney-General’s Department.
The rest are from the Ministry of
Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana Railway Development Authority, Ghana Railway
Company Limited and the Ghana Shippers’ Authority.
The Burkina Faso delegation had
officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Economy, Finance and
Development and Burkina Faso Railway Heritage Management Company.
GNA
Picture attached.
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