The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in collaboration with Ghana Railways Development Authority (GRDA) has organised a workshop on the Study for Safety Operation and Management of Railway System in the country.

The workshop was held at the JICA Ghana Office in Accra and was attended by officials of Ministry of Finance & Economic Planning, Ministry of Transportation, The Ghana Railways Company Limited (GRCL), and various stakeholders from private companies.

Representatives of RITES Limited, an Indian national engineering consultancy company specializing in railway systems, were also invited as special guests to share their expertise in railway development.

The objective of the workshop was to discuss the current situation and issues facing the Western Line (Takoradi-Tarkwa-Dunkwa-Awaso) and to come up with realistic goals for improvement. There were presentations on Japanese and Indian railway systems for safety operation, and recommendations on how to deliver appropriate maintenance for the railway system in order to reduce cases of accident and delay.

The importance of maintenance for safety was emphasised and the need to secure sufficient budget for maintenance was made clear.

The Ministries, GRDA and GRCL agreed to cooperate and work toward creating a new maintenance budget, which will be based on the Action Plan due to be proposed by GRCL soon.

The 22-month Study for Safety Operation and Management of Railway System in the Republic of Ghana will be concluded in November 2013, with a final report reflecting the current situation, improvement goals for effective and efficient maintenance of the railway system in Ghana, while ensuring its modernization and expansion.