General News of Friday, 26 March 2010

Source: GNA

Italy to support Ghana's transportation sector

Accra, March 26, GNA - Mr. Altelo Matteoli, Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, has given the assurance that the Italian Government would support Ghana's efforts at improving infrastructure in the transport sector.

Consequently, a joint technical co-operation team, made up of engineers, technocrats and officials from the two countries would be established to work out the modalities for the support. Mr. Matteoli gave the assurance when Mr. Mike Hammah, Ghana's Minister of Transport, led a delegation to pay courtesy call on him in Rome. A statement issued by the Ministry in Accra on Friday and signed by Mr. Kweku Sersah-Johnson, Public Affairs Director, copied to GNA, said the Ghanaian delegation was in Rome to observe the Italian railway transport system including the designing, construction, management and operations and how Ghana could adopt best practices in the country's quest to modernise the railway sector.

Mr. Matteoli said the facilitation of world trade and globalisation were the direct result of the contribution of transport of all modes and it was important for developing countries to pay critical attention to the development of the transport sector.

Mr. Hammah said the rail system that had been made a flagship and overriding priority policy of the government.

The delegation visited the Rome Metro Railway Head Offices and construction site of a new multi-million dollar underground rail network, the security, automated luggage scanning sections and facilities of the Faumicini airport in Rome as well as the offices of the leading railway engineering and construction firms in Italy. 26 March 10