China to construct Ghana’s 2nd airport

China Airports Construction Corporation (CACC) is set to begin construction of Ghana's second international airport after Kotoka International Airport with the capacity for large aircraft, a government official has revealed.

CACC, owned by the Chinese government and the only enterprise offering a full range of services in the civil airport construction, signed a memorandum of understanding with Ghana to undertake a feasibility study for the design of the new facility.

The airport will be constructed on a 16,000 acre land near Pampram in the Dangbe-East District of the Greater Accra region. Kotoka Airport is also in the same region but in the heart of the capital city.

Transport minister Alhaji Collins Dauda said the new airport would address the capacity constraints and anticipated traffic growth at the Kotoka Airport. He did not provide any details on the costs for the project. Ghana is in the process of drafting a new Airport Bill for parliamentary approval that is set to improve the aviation industry.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Airports Company Limited will continue its rehabilitation of the Kotoka International Airport under the phase III project.

The development is meant to facilitate and enhance passenger movement and experience in the terminal as well as aircraft movement. Regional airports are also going through facelifts to support the growing domestic traffic.

Dauda said the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) would collaborate with the World Bank for the review, drafting and development of economic regulations for the authority. He said government had taken initiatives to seek funding from the World Bank and other donor partners for the development of the infrastructure.