The government is considering absorbing the Western Rail Line under the Big Push programme, President John Dramani Mahama has said.
He said the move was aimed at opening up bauxite and manganese concessions as well as the Western Corridor.
President Mahama said this at the May Day parade in Koforidua in response to a call by the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
Strategic importance of Western Rail Line
President Mahama explained that the completion of the Western Rail Line is a project of significant interest because it will open up the bauxite and manganese concessions and the Western Corridor.
“It will make it easy to transport our cocoa beans from the plantations to the ports,” he said.
Revival of state-owned enterprises
The President noted that the government has worked very hard to revive many state-owned enterprises that were previously in a state of collapse, a bold step expected to sustain jobs and further open up the economy.
“I am pleased to inform you that the Tema Oil Refinery is back in operation,” he said.
President Mahama also said that the government has recapitalised the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) and the National Investment Bank (NIB). He added that the Tema Shipyard is bouncing back, and many other state-owned enterprises are now running more efficiently.
Call for vigilance
The President, however, cautioned that if workers fail to remain vigilant to prevent abuses that can undermine the gains, all the success achieved so far will go down the drain.
“I urge the TUC and organised labour not to sit back and look on aloof when management and governing boards are mismanaging their enterprises, because when these enterprises collapse, it is the workers that suffer the most,” he stated.
“And so when you see things going wrong, don’t sit aloof. Point it out and make sure corrections are done.”
