A major railway line critical to Ghana’s manganese exports has suffered severe damage due to illegal mining activities near Achiem in the Western Region, sparking concern among government officials and security agencies.
The narrow-gauge line, owned by the Ghana Manganese Company Limited, serves as a vital transport route from the company’s mining site to the Takoradi Port. However, portions of the line have been heavily encroached upon and damaged by illegal miners.
A viral video revealing the extent of destruction prompted a high-level inspection team on Monday, led by the Western Regional Minister, Joseph Nelson, the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, and a National Security Liaison Officer, to visit the site for an on-the-spot assessment.
Expressing deep concern, Mr. Nelson said the devastation could have been prevented if local monitoring systems had been more proactive.
“For the police, you have to really make your monitoring devices even more sensitive. This didn’t happen overnight or within two weeks. It’s been going on for a while, and so your system for scanning the environment must be sharper to avoid such damage,” he said.
Further along the route, large portions of the rail embankment were seen caving into nearby water bodies, making sections of the line completely unusable.
The Regional Minister also appealed to traditional authorities to take responsibility within their communities and urged the Ghana Railways Authority to intensify patrols to safeguard the infrastructure.
“I believe those who do these things live in this town. They wake up here every morning and come to do this. It’s worrying that this has been going on for weeks and no leader, no public-spirited person stepped in to stop it,” Mr. Nelson lamented.
“If any leader from this community had shown concern and exercised leadership, this matter could have ended long ago,” he added.
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Source: Frederick Kofi Thompson-Quartey/ATLFMNEWS
