Railway Workers Union staged a protest at the Ministry of Transport on Thursday, March 19, 2026, over what they described as government’s failure to pay their salaries for the past 14 months.

Clad in red and holding placards bearing messages such as “13 months no salary – how can we survive?”, the workers said the prolonged delay had taken a heavy toll on their livelihoods and families.

Responding to the concerns on Citi Eyewitness News, the Minister of Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, acknowledged the difficulties facing the sector.

He noted that the government inherited a railway system fraught with challenges as contractors had abandoned sites and salaries in arrears.

To address the situation, he explained that a taskforce was set up to auction obsolete rail lines where proceeds were used to clear outstanding salary arrears.

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He added that in December, the Ministry of Finance released GH₵10 million, which covered about four months of salaries.

“Issues of railway are a major concern for the government and the Ministry of Transport. We inherited a railway that was not functioning. Even salaries were in arrears. Contractors had abandoned the site, and things were not working,” Nikpe said.

He further disclosed that negotiations with contractors such as Amandi have led to the resumption of works on the Western corridor, particularly the line to Nsuta.

The Tema-Mpakadan railway line, which was non-operational when the government assumed office, is now functioning, while faults on the Accra-Tema line have also been resolved.

SA/VPO

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