Work on the 78-kilometre Nsuta-Manso rail line in the Western region is progressing steadily and is expected to be completed by end of July 2023, the Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah has disclosed.

He said already, the Kojokrom-Manso stretch had been completed and operationalised.

Taking his turn at the weekly state of the region de­velopment organised by the Ministry of Information, he said the modernisation of the rail lines formed part of the government’s grand infrastructure development agenda of the Western Region.

Okyere Darko-Mensah said apart from the railway sector, a lot more was also happening in the road sector in the region.

He said key among the road projects were the con­struction of an interchange at the Paa Grant roundabout, the rehabilitation of the Esia­ma-Teleku-Bokazo-Aniben roads.

Also included are the asphalting of the two-kilometre Assake-Whindo road, the 1.5-ki­lometre WAMCO-Effiakuma road which had been completed and were in use.

In the area of port infrastructure, he said an automated oil jetty, and a modern container terminal had been constructed at the Takoradi Port, while a forward operating base was cur­rently under construction at Ezinlibo in Jomoro.

In addition to this was the construction of the sea defence walls at Axim, Amanfu-Kuma, Aboadze, Adjoa and Funkoe.

Mr Darko Mensah explained that a number of health infrastructures had been provided with a lot more currently ongoing.

He listed them as the rehabilitation and remodelling of the Effia Nkwanta Hospital, the new regional hospital, polyclinic facilities at Bo­goso, Elubo-Jomoro, Nsuaem, Wasa Dunkwa and New Takoradi.

He said government was also concerned about the water situation in the region and as a result a number of projects in that area had been undertaken.

He said funding for three number small town water projects had been secured for Mpohor, Manso and Wassa Dunkwa.

He said work on the new headquarters of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) at Takoradi was progressing steadily and was about 65 per cent completed.

The facility he said when completed would host the head office of the corporation in fulfillment of the gov­ernment’s pledge to relocate the headquarters of GNPC to the Western Region.

Touching on the redevelopment of the Takoradi Market Circle, he said the project was about 68 per cent complet­ed.

He noted that apart from facelifting the area it would provide a conducive atmosphere for the market women to conduct their business.

The Minister said the Western region remained one of the regions in the country that had benefited immensely from this government’s initiatives.

He said apart from the massive physical infrastructural works, a lot of social interventions had also been under­taken in the region.

He noted that the region continued to be an investment hub and encourages businessmen and investors to turn their attention to the area.

Mr Darko Mensah said apart from the oil sector the region had a huge potential in the areas of agriculture, commerce and tourism.