Examining the Decision-Making Approaches and Challenges Affecting Ghana’s Railway Sector

Examining the Decision-Making Approaches and Challenges Affecting Ghana’s Railway Sector

Michael Adjei Anyetei

The rail system in Ghana has received increased attention since patronage from both passengers and freight traffic plummeted as a result of lack of infrastructural development in rail tracks, station buildings, bridges, culverts, locomotives, passenger coaches, and mineral wagons. The purpose of the study is to assess the decision-making framework in Ghana’s rail sector and how it can further be strengthened to address the challenges in the rail system and thereby promote national development. The study employed mixed methods of descriptive quantitative method and a qualitative method to address the specific objectives of the study. The specific objectives of the study were to assess the existing decision-making framework and its effectiveness on capital investment for the railway sector in Ghana; to examine the implications of decision-making policies on the performance of Ghana’s railway sector; to identify the challenges affecting decision-making framework of Ghana’s railway sector; and to examine the role of information in the decision-making framework of Ghana’s railway sector. The study showed that the decision-making framework of the Ghana Railway Company Limited has adverse implication including inefficiencies and poor service delivery on the performance of the railway sector. It also came to light that the existing decision-making framework of GRCL does not promote capital investment due to the low level of commitment towards the expansion of infrastructure and an uneven allocation of funds in the railway sector. Moreover, the major challenge of the railway sector was noted as pecuniary while embezzlement and a virtually non-existent maintenance culture posed an everyday threat to Ghana’s railway sector. Lastly, the study established the vital role information play in the decision-making approaches of the railway sector in the developing world. It is recommended that adequate capital investment must be injected into the railway sector through the arrangement of public-private partnerships.

Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Ghana Technology University Library

November 2017