Ghana in talks with Chinese companies on eastern corridor road network construction

A delegation from Ghana led by the country’s Minister of Roads and Highways, Mr. Joseph Gidisu, has held talks with two Chinese construction firms about developing road networks in the country.

The delegation which joined the ECOWAS team led by its President His Excellency, James Victor Gbeho held discussions with officials of the China CAMC Engineering Limited (CAMCE) and the China Gezhouba Company Limited (CGGC) in Beijing, China.

“These are for the 156-kilometre Nkwanta-Oti Damango-Yendi road which is the subject of a contract for studies and design with CAMCE and financed by the ECOWAS Commission and the 238-kilometre Tema-Hohoe-Toase Cement road for which CGGC has already submitted fully-priced technical and financial proposals to the Ministry of Roads and Highways, for further consideration,” ECOWAS said in a press statement on July 14, 2011.

According to the regional body, both roads are part of the country’s eastern corridor network and the ECOWAS portion of the Trans-West African Highway Road Network.

There is also the 800-kilometre Western Corridor Highway project for which Ghana’s Ministry of Roads and Highways has signed an MOU with the CGGC, the statement said.

It is likely that the projects will be funded by both the China-Africa Development Fund and the Export-Import Bank of China. The ECOWAS statement has indicated that “Both banks also pledged to work on all bankable regional integration projects with good business plans recommended to them by the ECOWAS Commission for implementation by Member States; starting with Sierra Leone and Ghana which were represented in the delegation.”

By Ekow Quandzie