Transport
From The Report: Ghana 2013
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Ghana’s pursuit of middle-income status, bolstered by developments in the oil and gas sector, has put a corresponding strain on its transport networks, particularly at ports and airports. The government has committed to expanding facilities at airports to better meet the demands of a rising number of flights and an increasing amount of passengers. The first step of the proposed improvement works at Tema and Takoradi ports will be a dredging operation increasing draught to 16 metres at each facility. Major road upgrades include the Eastern Corridor Roads Project, which commenced in 2012 and will rehabilitate 800 km of road between Tema and Kulungugu. The government is seeking to improve these facilities through public-private partnerships. Although the largest projects will take some time in coming to fruition, the government has shown strong commitment to bolstering economic growth through infrastructure enhancement.

This chapter contains interviews with Nils Smedegaard Andersen, Group CEO, A.P. Moller-Maersk Group; and Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Managing Director, Ghana Airports Company.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

On a roll: Brisk economic expansion is putting pressure on infrastructure
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As Ghana’s growth rate continues to hover around 7%, the country’s transportation network is under increasing pressure to keep up with the rise in commodity exports, processed imports and local distribution. The country’s road and railway networks are comparatively well developed in comparison to other regional economies, but as with many African countries, they are also under-maintained. Ports and airports, in particular, are feeling the strain of rising freight volumes and passenger numbers,…

Interview

OBG talks to Nils Smedegaard Andersen, Group CEO, A.P. Moller- Maersk Group
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Interview:Nils Smedegaard Andersen What opportunities do you see for improving maritime infrastructure or expanding capacity? NILS SMEDEGAARD ANDERSEN: If South Africa is excluded, the growth is almost 6%, and here in Ghana growth is in fact above 8%. The abundance of minerals and natural resources highlights the fact that the potential for expansion here is tremendous. You also have lots of people getting better education, and an ever-larger number moving into the affluent middle class.…

Interview

OBG talks to Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Managing Director, Ghana Airports Company
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Interview:Doreen Owusu-Fianko What infrastructure upgrades are planned to keep Kotoka International Airport competitive globally? DOREEN OWUSU-FIANKO: Our current airport structure was designed to cater to 500,000 passengers, but over the years annual passenger numbers have increased to 2.5m. Our design for terminal rehabilitation and expansion, especially the international terminal, will increase this capacity to 10m passengers per year by 2020-24. However, considering the current rate of…

Analysis

Rehabilitating the railways: Improved rail links would take strain off the road network
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Railway rehabilitation and expansion has long been seen as critical to increasing exports and improving Ghana’s transportation network, particularly given the more constrained linkages to the north of the country and to both cocoa- and gold-producing regions. Carrying freight by rail could significantly improve the security and price of domestic shipping, For the past four years officials at the Ghana Railway Corporation and Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) have been slowly moving…