Potential airport reopening: We are ready to revamp our businesses – GUTA

The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) says it is elated at the potential reopening of the country's main airport to international travel in the wake of the coronavirus induced closures.

This follows an announcement by President Akufo-Addo in an address to the nation on Sunday, August 16 over the potential reopening on September 1, 2020.

Speaking an interview with GhanaWeb on Tuesday, August 18, President of GUTA, Dr Joseph Obeng said; “for us the business community, we are ever ready to kickstart our businesses because 60 percent of our members conduct trade consolidation which involves them physically travelling to go and select their goods and ship them back in containers.”

He added; “Our people most of whom are [Importers] since the closure of the borders, have been starved for a long time and so when an opportunity like this avails itself, we [GUTA] are overly excited to go with it.”

Dr Obeng, however, said the potential reopening of the country’s international airports must be tied down with the rest of the other international airports.

“Now we’re looking at how our members are not going to be harassed and frustrated notwithstanding we will be cautious to see if such a scenario like that happens then we will be more than happy to travel to enable us to work,” he said.

Meanwhile, President Akufo-Addo said he has tasked the Ghana Health Service, the Ministry of Aviation, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Ghana Airport Company Limited to commence stakeholder discussions over the potential reopening of air borders for travel.

“The outcome of that exercise will show us the way, and determine when we can reopen our border by air. I am hoping that, by God’s grace, we will be ready to do so by 1st September,” President Akufo Addo said in his 15th address to the nation.

“I want to ensure that we are in a position to test every single passenger that arrives in the country to avoid the spread of the virus,” he added.