In 2019, the government of Ghana and (Ai) Sky Train Consortium of South Africa signed the much anticipated Accra Sky Train project, which is a fully automated, high efficiency and an extremely cost-effective public mass transit system that will use air propulsion technology to drive lightweight, high passenger volume vehicles.
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Opinion: When will the Accra sky train project start? - Kojo asks
With Accra experiencing ever-increasing road traffic congestion, with its detrimental effects on economic activity, pollution, and the quality of life, the SkyTrainÔ project.
Sky train
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At the signing ceremony which took place in South Africa, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo expressed great delight about the fact that the project is gradually nearing its consummation stage to see the light of day.
With the signing of the concession agreement, Nana Addo said: "It is meeting an important infrastructure need and hopefully the step that is being taken today with the signing of the concession, means that the project itself is that much nearer conclusion. That is what we’re hoping for so that the people of Ghana could benefit from the progress of the relief that a modern system of commuting in our capital city is going to bring."
The Ministry of Railways Development, Ghana, and the South African counterparts remain strongly committed to the Accra Sky Train Project.
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Contrary to reports suggesting that the project is a fiasco, the Government of Ghana on one hand, and the South African Investors, are eager to start the project but so many months after the deal was signed, Ghanaians have not heard of the deal if it'll be done or not.
Though, the COVID-19 pandemic has posed a stumbling block on the commencement of the Sky Train project, officials of the Railways Development Ministry said it'll still be constructed.
The investors said that the first station for the Accra Sky Train project will be opened in 9 months, that is, August 2020.
However, it has been over 16 months now but the project is yet to be actualised.
The Transport Minister, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah said processes are still ongoing for government to construct the sky train project.
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He noted that his office together with Railways Ministry has engaged various prospective developers who have expressed in constructing the project.
Skytrain
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He, however, added that copies of the contract have been sent to the Attorney General’s Department awaiting a reply.
According to him, should the Attorney General provide a positive reply, all necessary initiatives will be implemented to commence the project?
"For the proposal that we have received, we have sent it to the Attorney General for the department to look at it and advise us on how we should engage them.
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"So yes, there are prospective developers who are waiting for us but we must be sure that we are on the side of law first. So that is where we are now," he said.
Since the government signed the deal in 2019, the construction of the Skytrain project has not started to ease the daily traffic on the roads.
Thereby, Kojo asks the government and wants to know the day, week, month, or year it has earmarked to start the project.
Pulse Editor's Opinion is the opinion of an editor of Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the organization Pulse.
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