‘Keteke, Here we come!’ – Amewu 'kicks off' railway transformation agenda

Railway Development minister, John-Peter Amewu, has declared the start of a transformation agenda in the sector he will be leading.

“Keteke, Here we come! The transformation Agenda for Ghana's railway sector has Begun,” he wrote on his social media pages.

The post was in reaction to his March 5 inauguration as sector minister by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. Amewu and 27 other ministers were sworn into office after they had been vetted and approved by parliament.

Amewu, a stting Member of Parliament for the Hohoe constituency, endured a tough grilling by parliament’s Appointment Committee on February 24. He takes over the portfolio previously occupied by Joe Ghartey.

Talking about the sector during his appearance before the Appointments Committee, he said: “Mr Chairman, the railway sector has its own advantage. The lifespan of most of our roads we witness in this country is a maximum of 11 years, but a railway that is well constructed can take up to 50 years.

“So, the advantage is that when you put your railway sector in order, then you are going to migrate traffic from the current existing dense traffic on our roads to the railway.”

He added: “Already, the trucks that ply on our roads are above the average load but because they do not have any alternative means of transport, they are forced to use the roads. And that is why most of our roads after a few years are in a very deplorable state.”

Amewu was first sworn in as the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in January 2017 by president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and subsequently named in May 2017 as member of Akufo-Addo’s cabinet.

On the 9th of August 2018; Amewu was reassigned by the president as Minister of Energy till the end of 2020.