Airport reopening good for our trade consolidation businesses – Spare Part Dealers

The Abossey Okai Spare Parts Dealers Association say they are elated at the reopening of Ghana’s air borders to international traffic in the wake of the coronavirus induced closures.

According to the group, the pandemic and its associated restrictions imposed on travel has negatively impacted their businesses along with a scarcity of goods.

Speaking in an interview with GhanaWeb, Co-chairman of the Association, Clement Boateng, said, “Most of our businesses which involves trade consolidation has our members travelling outside to make their purchases, load them unto containers and ship them right back to Ghana”

“About 80 percent of our members are in the bracket of this kind of trade consolidation with only about 15 percent doing their businesses right from Ghana and so with the news of the airport reopening, is in the right direction because many of our members will now get the opportunity to travel and bring in more goods because there was a scarcity of goods which led to a price hike due to the travel restrictions,” Boateng explained.

Mr Boateng, however, said the reopening of the country’s main airport to international traffic must coincide with the rest of the other international airports for easy trade facilitation.

Meanwhile, an economist has admonished citizens to be circumspect in their expectations on Ghana’s economic recovery following the reopening of the air borders.

According to him, the easing of restrictions of Ghana’s air borders and its economic impact is however projected to be on a gradual scale.

Additionally, the traveling public entering Ghana will be required to pay an amount of US$150 for COVID-19 testing on arrival to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).

So far, about 641 passengers have successfully undergone COVID-19 tests at the Upper Arrival section of the KIA as at Sunday, September 6, 2020 according to the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL).

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his 16th address to the nation allowed for the resumption of Ghana’s air borders to international traffic indicating a path towards normalcy and economic revive.