President John Dramani Mahama has asked Russia to help expand Ghana’s railway network, calling the country a true friend of Africa. He spoke at an open dialogue with students at the People’s Friendship University of Russia (RUDN) in Moscow.
President Mahama explained that the government will begin with the western corridor to Takoradi port, then push the line north to Kumasi and on to Burkina Faso. He argued that freight from minerals and cocoa will let the line pay for itself, and that Ghana can only build in phases.
“We see Russia as a true friend, and I believe that even in this modern age, this is a time that we should show even more solidarity with each other.”
President John Dramani Mahama
President Mahama told the students that partners like Russia have kept “solid commitments to Africa with no strings attached” over the years. He recalled that Russia has stood with Africa since independence, took part in the fight against apartheid and spoke against colonialism.
He stated that there is a lot to do and that Ghana wants such partners beside it. His remarks set the tone for the railway request that followed.
A Colonial Inheritance in Poor Shape
The President was blunt about the state of Ghana’s rail system. “I’m ashamed to say our railway is in a very poor state.” He noted that Ghana inherited the network from the colonial administration and that little has been done since.
The government now has a railway master plan to extend lines to all parts of the country. Recent steps include two new locomotives and 20 freight wagons, and the Tema to Mpakadan line that former President Nana Akufo-Addo commissioned in 2024.
President Mahama named the western corridor as the first priority because it leads to Takoradi, one of Ghana’s ports. Ghana traditionally exports raw materials through that port, he explained, among them cocoa beans, manganese and bauxite. The government wants a rail network that can carry those volumes to the port so that the line pays for itself.
The plan then continues to Kumasi, Ghana’s second biggest city, and onward along the western corridor to Hamile, a northern town.
Link to Burkina Faso Serves Both Countries
From Hamile, President Mahama explained, the line would connect to Bobo-Dioulasso, the industrial city of Burkina Faso. He saw two gains. Burkina Faso would receive a dedicated corridor for imports, and its exports, cotton and other raw materials among them, could travel south on the same line.
Ghana would gain too. The line would bring bauxite, manganese and lithium to the port, either for refining or for export. The President also outlined the same railway ambition when he described investor rail plans for Keta port, and he has noted that the Accra to Kumasi expressway design leaves space for a future railway line.
The Ghana Railway Development Authority (GRDA) has unveiled an updated Railway Master Plan 2026 that moves the strategy from a passenger focus to a freight led model designed to attract private investment. The plan puts bulk transport of bauxite, manganese, iron ore and cocoa first, so that revenues are predictable before passenger lines expand.
It also replaces the old narrow Cape gauge tracks with a 1,435 mm standard gauge network built for speeds of up to 160 km/h and heavy axle loads. Under an open access model, the government builds and owns the infrastructure while private operators run the locomotives and services.
Phased Expansion Across the Country
The Tema to Mpakadan line already operates as an open access freight and transit link and forms the first phase of the Ghana and Burkina Faso railway interconnectivity project. Plans for the Eastern Corridor extend the Tema to Akosombo line through the Dawa Industrial Area to Keta, to support the proposed Keta Port.
The plan also sets out a phased expansion from south to north. The first phase runs from Kumasi to Techiman, the second from Techiman to Tamale across the White Volta, and the third along a Yendi iron ore branch line meant to turn Yendi into an industrial steel centre.
President Mahama closed his answer by acknowledging the limits of the effort. The government has drawn a master plan to extend the railway to other parts of the country, he noted, but he asked the students to agree that Ghana “can only do it in phases” and cannot do it all at once.
The western corridor to Takoradi, Kumasi and the Burkina Faso border therefore sets the first stage of the programme.
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