John Mahama condemns 66% sale of Kotoka Airport to private firm

Flagbearer of the opposition, National Democratic Congress, John Dramani Mahama has condemned the move by government to sell off 66% of the Ghana Airports Company to a foreign partner.

John Mahama noted that with airports being the pride of most countries, government’s decision to hand over more than 50% of the aviation company to Turkish company, TAM-SUMMA Consortium is not prudent and must be stopped.

He added that it was wrong “to give up our airport like that.”

Making an assertion in an interview on Woezor TV, Mr Mahama claimed that the country’s premiere aiport was valued at more than GH¢5 billion while boasting that the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) was among the five best airports in Africa under his tenure.

“When we were in office, a valuation study of the Kotoka Airport was done and it was valued at over GH¢ 5 billion. It also had an insured value in the region of GH¢3 to GH¢4 billion because a lot of money had been invested in the airport and it had become one of the five best airports in Africa,” Mr Mahama.

Bemoaning the partnership, he described the move by government as “strange” to cede a chunk of the airport to the Turkish company in exchange for US$70 million.

“[Now we are seeing] a strange development where a Turkish company is being given the airport; to take over the airport and run it. For US$70 million we are giving 66% of the airport to a Turkish company. We are against it. It is wrong,” John Mahama said.

The former President said while the NDC administration was in power, its valuation report showed that the airport was valued at about GH¢5 billion and so it’s strange that the Akufo-Addo admnistration intends to cede 66% of its control of the airport to the private company in exchange for US$70 million.

Meanwhile, the Aviation Ministry has denied the sale of the airport following allegations that the Kotoka International Airport was going to be run by a foreign company.

A statement signed by the sector Minister Joseph Kofi Adda and copied to GhanaWeb in July read, “The Ministry of Aviation wishes to unequivocally inform the general public and the good people of Ghana that the Kotoka International Airport is not for sale and no such deal has ever been conceived by the government of Ghana.”

According to the Minister, what is actually being “considered for deliberation” by his outfit and its stakeholders including the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is a proposed Strategic Partnership Arrangement between GACL and TAV-SUMMA Consortium to improve service delivery and expansion of infrastructure at the KIA to achieve government’s vision of making Ghana the Aviation Hub within the West African Sub-Region.