Foreign Partnership In Management Of Kotoka Int’l Airport Needless – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has asked government to desist from negotiating an agreement with a strategic partner for the management of Kotoka International Airport.

According to the Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee, Governs Agbodza, any attempt to short-change Ghanaians in the agreement will not be taken lightly.

Addressing the press in Parliament, the Adaklu MP urged government to be cautious as the plan to partner an investor to run the Kotoka International Airport is not in the interest of the country.

“Ho is completed but not in use. Kumasi is under construction as we have taken the loan already. Tamale is also under construction, Wa has been completed and Kotoka Airport is over-capacitated. It will take Terminal Three five to seven years to reach its full capacity. Terminal Two recently got upgraded and is not even in use. They only handed over Terminal One to McDan and nobody even knows what he is doing there. So what exactly is the strategic investor bringing?” he asked.

“Is the partner to come and manage it because the Minister and the Directors are not capable of managing it? I don’t think at this stage of Ghana’s life we need a strategic investor to manage an airport when we can find our own money to build it. We don’t need anybody to manage it for us. So whoever is handling this strategic discussion should please watch what they are doing because it is not in the interest of Ghana,” he said.

Background

Earlier this month, the Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda, in a statement dismissed reports that government has concluded processes to cede the management of Kotoka International Airport to a foreign company.

According to him, though the process of engagement has not begun, an Executive Approval has been signed by the President for the Ministry to facilitate the engagement with TAV-SUMMA Consortium, a Turkish firm, to improve service delivery and expansion of infrastructure at the Kotoka International Airport to achieve the government’s vision of making Ghana the Aviation Hub within the sub-region.

Following the Ministry of Aviation’s clarification, the KIA branch of the Public Services Workers’ Union of the Ghana Airports Company Limited demonstrated against it.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Aviation and the Ghana Airports Company Limited, have justified the impending partnership with a Turkish firm despite a protest by workers.

They have explained that the capital injection is required to clear outstanding loans and expand Airport infrastructure.