British Imperial Transport Management

The Gold Coast Sekondi–Kumase Railway, 1903–1911

Bibliographic Data

ID10249239
AuthorsRaymond E Dumett (Purdue University, corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume27
Issue2
Pages60-79
Publication date2006-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueThe Journal of Transport History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0022-5266 • E-ISSN: 1759-3999
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.7227/tjth.27.2.7
OpenAlexW2008250525
LanguageEN
Citations received2

This article traces the development of The Gold Coast Sekondi–Kumase Railway during its first eight years, from 1903-1911. The author, in order to present a more balanced assessment, focuses on statistical details concerning the railway. Specifically examined are the railway's design and construction, personnel and administration, finance and accounting procedures, capital investments and costs associated with servicing its debt. Because of the geographical and logistical challenges of building a railway in a tropics-based agricultural environment, the author gives particular emphasis to the managerial and accounting techniques available at the time. From an analysis of financial records, the author found that the Sekondi–Tarkwa–Obuasi–Kumase line showed improvements in its day-to-day operations during its first decade, despite the railway's numerous flaws and problems. The railway's receipts and finances exhibited a certain level of efficiency in its operations that resulted in substantial cost savings over time. The author shows that, in many respects, the railway's financial results were not so unlike those of its railway contemporaries in more industrialized parts of the world

Ancient history · Empire · Imperial unit system · African history and culture studies · History · Transport and Economic Policies

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