Ghana and Burkina Faso are advancing plans for a major railway connection linking Tema Port with Ouagadougou, aimed at strengthening trade, freight movement and regional connectivity.
Ghana and Burkina Faso are continuing efforts to develop a major railway interconnectivity project that would eventually link Tema Port in Ghana with Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, creating a strategic transport corridor between the Gulf of Guinea and the landlocked Sahel.
The proposed railway is part of a broader regional connectivity plan designed to improve the movement of passengers and freight, strengthen trade and reduce the pressure created by heavy cargo traffic on Ghana’s roads.
Ghana’s Ministry of Transport has previously confirmed discussions with Burkina Faso on developing a railway line connecting Ouagadougou and Tema. The proposed connection could also eventually serve other landlocked countries, including Mali and Niger.
Tema-Mpakadan forms a crucial foundation
A major component of the wider project is already operational.
The 97.97-kilometre Tema-Mpakadan Standard Gauge Railway was completed and commissioned in November 2024. The line forms an important component of Ghana’s wider railway development strategy and the broader Ghana-Burkina Faso interconnectivity initiative.
GhanaMedia.net has continued to follow major developments in Ghana’s infrastructure and transport sector, including our coverage of major infrastructure projects transforming Ghana and the country’s wider national development agenda.
New multimodal transport strategy
The railway plans are also being linked to a broader multimodal transport strategy.
Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has outlined plans for a new port at Mpakadan that would allow cargo arriving at Tema to move by rail to Mpakadan, transfer onto barges on the Volta Lake to Buipe and then continue by road toward northern Ghana and landlocked countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The approach would create an integrated rail–lake–road corridor, potentially strengthening Ghana’s position as a logistics gateway for the Sahel.
The development of Ghana’s transport infrastructure is also connected to the country’s broader trade and logistics ambitions. GhanaMedia.net recently reported on the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority’s latest financial performance and its role in Ghana’s wider logistics economy.
Why the Ghana-Burkina rail link matters
The proposed railway could provide Burkina Faso with a more efficient connection to Ghana’s Atlantic port infrastructure while opening additional opportunities for Ghanaian trade with markets across the Sahel.
The project has also been discussed in the context of reducing the heavy burden placed on Ghana’s roads by transit cargo.
On September 10, 2026, MP Kennedy Nyarko Osei, Ranking Member of Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, renewed calls for development of the Ghana-Burkina railway, arguing that shifting a significant portion of Burkina Faso-bound transit cargo from roads to rail could help protect Ghana’s road infrastructure and strengthen economic activity.
The railway initiative therefore represents more than a transport project: it could become an important piece of Ghana’s wider strategy to strengthen regional trade, logistics and economic integration.
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