Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has announced plans by the government to position the Takoradi Port as Ghana’s primary trade gateway for landlocked countries in the Sahel region.
According to the Finance Minister, the initiative is aimed at transforming Takoradi Port into a major transit hub for goods destined for countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, while reducing pressure on Ghana’s road infrastructure.
Speaking at the Ishmael Yamson and Associates Business Roundtable in Accra, Dr. Forson revealed that discussions are already underway between Ghana and several Sahelian countries regarding the proposed arrangement.
The minister explained that the project forms part of a broader strategy to address the growing damage caused to Ghana’s roads by heavy-duty trucks transporting goods across the sub-region.
“We will ensure that overloading on our roads, which is destroying the road investment, becomes a thing of the past,” he stated.
As part of the long-term solution, Dr. Forson disclosed that the government intends to construct a railway line linking Takoradi in the Western Region to Hamile in the Upper West Region.
The proposed rail corridor is expected to serve as the primary mode of transporting cargo from the port to Ghana’s northern border, where goods can then be transferred to neighbouring Sahel countries.
“The long-term major intervention is to have a railway to serve our brothers and sisters in the Sahel,” he said.
He added that traders and businesses from Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and other landlocked countries would be able to collect imported goods from Hamile, reducing the need for large volumes of cargo to be transported by road across the country.
“People from the Sahel, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and other countries can take the goods from Hamile in the Upper West Region,” he explained.
Dr. Forson acknowledged that the railway project would require substantial investment but argued that its long-term economic benefits would far outweigh the initial costs.
According to him, the development would not only protect Ghana’s road infrastructure but also strengthen the country’s position as a key logistics and trade hub within the West African sub-region.
The proposed initiative is expected to boost trade, improve regional connectivity and enhance Ghana’s competitiveness as a preferred transit corridor for landlocked countries seeking access to international markets through Ghanaian ports.
