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The governments of Ghana and Burkina Faso have issued a joint Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEOI) for a cross-border railway public-private partnership (PPP) project. The governments are seeking technical and financial partners for the construction and operation of a railway line between the two countries.

The project will be developed on a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis and fully funded through a PPP arrangement. 

The proposed railway line will link Tema Port, in the south-east of Ghana, to Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. The railway will pass through Akosombo, Ho, Hohoe, Yendi, Tamale and Paga in Ghana, and Dakola and Po in Burkina Faso, running alongside national highway number 5.

Ghana and Burkina Faso share a 549km north-south border. The countries are historic trading partners, though cross-border trade is limited for land transport, facilitated only by two highways. 

The objective of the project is to improve the transport and logistics chain within the proposed corridor, with the aim of accelerating economic growth and development of both countries.

The tender will be conducted and managed by the governments' respective Ministries of Railways Development and Transport, Urban Mobility and Road Safety.

Expressions of Interest are invited from firms from all countries, though consortia must include a significant level of Ghanaian and Burkinabé participation. The submission deadline is 21 May 2018. For more information, see the Business Opportunity.

The project ties in with two PPP projects in Ghana currently in tender. The existing Eastern Railway Line, which links Accra to Kumasi and has a branch line to Tema Port, is to be modernised and brought into operation by a private partner. An RFEOI was issued in February. In January, Ghana's Highway Authority published a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Accra-Tema Motorway PPP project, which will link Tema Port to the capital city via a 19km dual carriageway.

Thus, this project adds to the Ghanaian government's efforts to improve access and connections to and from Tema Port. Users of the Eastern Railway Line and the Accra-Tema motorway will be able to travel on to Burkina Faso.