The President has now put an order on the Western Railway Line's extension, with Nyinahini and its bauxite first and the Western Corridor to Hamile second, and has tied the line to the expansion of Takoradi Port. The next marker is the 2027 Budget, in which the Finance Minister is expected to announce the first phase.
- Project: Western Railway Line extension, Ghana
- Phase 1: Extension to Nyinahini to support bauxite mining
- Phase 2: Continuation along the Western Corridor to Hamile on Ghana's northern border
- Cargo cited: Manganese, bauxite, lithium ore and containers
- Funding: Government says funding secured under the “Big Push” project
- Next step: First phase expected to be announced in the 2027 Budget
- Announced: 10 November 2026, Takoradi Port groundbreaking
Ghana's government is prioritising development of the Western Railway Line in two phases, President John Dramani Mahama said at Takoradi Port on 10 November, with a first extension to Nyinahini to support bauxite mining and a second continuing along the Western Corridor to Hamile on Ghana's northern border.
The President announced the plan at a groundbreaking ceremony for port expansion projects at Takoradi, according to Ghana's Information Services Department (ISD). He identified the Western Railway Line as the most commercially viable of the country's proposed railway developments, with the potential to carry manganese, bauxite and lithium to the ports while also moving containers and other cargo.
“Ultimately, the game-changer is the Western Rail Line. We have the Railway Master Plan. But of all the rail designs we have, the Western Line is the most profitable because of the manganese, the bauxite, and all that, so even if you take containers up, you can bring bauxite or manganese or lithium ore down to the ports,” he said.
The first phase would take the line to Nyinahini so that the country can begin mining bauxite there. The second would extend it along the Western Corridor to Hamile, which the President said would allow landlocked Burkina Faso to move imports and exports through Takoradi Port rather than relying on longer routes to the sea.
“Phase 1 will take the line all the way to Nyinahini so that we can start to mine the bauxite in Nyinahini. And Phase 2 will take the line and continue it along the Western Corridor all the way to Hamile on our northern border,” he said.
According to the Presidency, Mahama said the government had secured funding for the Western railway line and selected major highways under the “Big Push” project, infrastructure intended to carry goods to the hinterland and Sahelian countries. ISD reported that the Finance Minister is expected to announce the first phase as part of the new economy plan in the 2027 Budget.
The President presented the railway as part of a broader strategy to integrate Ghana's ports, railway network and roads to improve the country's competitiveness in regional trade.
The port projects launched at the ceremony are Project Shiprite, a US$137 million ship repair and maintenance facility being developed by Prime Meridian Docks Ghana Limited under a 25-year concession, and Berth 19, a 300m berth with a capacity of 75,000 deadweight tonnes, valued at US$98.41 million and funded by the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) from its own resources.
