Cost of Tamale Int’l Airport renovation under Mahama to be reviewed

The Aviation Minister, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has revealed that her ministry will go back to the drawing board and assess the scope of work on Phase One of the expansion work on the Tamale International Airport and compare if there was value for money in the GH¢ 130 million project under the erstwhile John Mahama administration.

The sector minister also revealed that it is only after the assessment that cabinet can see what is needed to be approved in the budget for the start of Phase Two, which will see international flights patronizing the 3.4-kilometer runway.

Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaah together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Amin Abdul-Rahman and some members of the Authority were on a familiarization tour of the Tamale International Airport in the Northern Region.

“We have to go back to the blackboard after assessing the scope of work to see if what have been provided meets the GH¢130, 000, 000 and to also see what is needed for the Phase Two,” she told journalists.

“It is only after that we can have our airport being put to its full usage.”

The Minister also bemoaned the reduction in the number of cabin crew and pilots in Ghana to run the various airlines.

She therefore wants the establishment of an aviation training center in the Northern Region where prospective persons will be trained to fill in gap.

She indicated that the completion of the second phase will see other services like cargo center for exports of fresh farm produce which will boost the economy and create more jobs for the teeming youth.

“I hear Ghana has run short of cabin crew and pilots to run the airlines. What we need currently are aviation schools especially in Tamale to train people to fill in the gap.”

She was accompanied by Salifu Saeed, the Northern Region Minister and the Ghana Airport Manager in Tamale, Micheal Omane-Mensah, who took her to all the ancillary facilities including the power sub-station.