The General Secretary of the Railway Workers Union, Godwill Ntarmah in an interview with pulse.com.gh said there are truck cartels that have stopped the development of the railway sector.

He said these people are mainly owners of other means of transportation. He explained that because such people feared that their revenue will reduce when the railway sector is revamped they are doing all within their power to prevent this.

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“Joe Ghartey is an MP for Essikado/Ketan Constituency where predominantly the railway workers live. So he knows our plight and will do better for the sector.”

“We believe when government develops the railway, the cartel that is around that does not want the railway to come back on truck will be broken when investment is made into the sector.”

The president of policy think tank Imani Ghana, Franklin Cudjoe earlier argued that the railway sector needs resources and not an independent Ministry.

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But Ntarmah said “railway has been under the Ministry of Transport with other agencies for a long time and the attention that the railway needs has not been given. And so to us we think it is a good thing the president has done.”

The union is particularly happy President Akufo-Addo appointed Joe Ghartey.

“Joe Ghartey understands railway, lives and associates with railway workers and he knows the problems of railway company and railway workers. The hope is that because the president will create a Ministry for the railway and appoint a person such as Joe Ghartey and leave him to go and disgrace himself.”

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In announcing his second batch of ministers, President Akufo-Addo introduced two entirely new ministries. These are the Ministry of Monitoring and Evaluation and the Ministry of Re-organisation and Special Projects, in addition to the new National Security Ministry which is backed by law.

Out of the Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, a new Ministry to be known as the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has also been created leaving the Works and Housing Ministry on its own.