Gov’t Not Privatizing Kotoka Airport – Minister

The Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda, has debunked reports making rounds that Government has plans to hand over Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to a private company to manage.

The Minister said the reports are untrue and all must treat it with the contempt it deserves.

However, he said his office was open for discussions that will help improve the asset of the country’s premier airport and other state facilities.

Mr. Adda who spoke in an interview with the media at a breakfast meeting organized by Aviation Ghana in Accra said “at the moment there is nothing like that on the table.

“First of all, I have not seen anything credible on the supposed privatization of KIA, until I see that there is little I can say about it”.

He said though there are no immediate plans to privatise the facility, his office will welcome to discussions that will help enhance the value of the airports in in order to enable them pay dividend to government.

“I don’t know where it coming from, I don’t know who is putting it out there. I have even heard that it is being put out there that we are selling Ghana and I don’t know who we are selling it to. But the government will always look at kinds of arrangement athat will improve the value of asset that we have in the nation. Bear in mind the president sworn to protect assets of this nation so any kinds of business plans that will help us improve on the asset we have, we willing to look at it.

“ The only question I will ask those putting this out there is that how many times has the airport paid dividend to the nation? The last five years have we paid dividend to the nation? If there is any arrangement that is going to enhance the value of the airport and enable us pay dividend to the nation we will be happy to look at it,” he said.

Media Reports

Media reports yesterday indicate that TAV Airport Holding Company Limited per a  cabinet memo will be in charge of the “day to day operations, including facility maintenance and fees collections.”

The aim of the proposal, according to the leaked cabinet document, is “to help bring about physical development of the airport enclave and transform the KIA into a world class airport with improved managerial efficiency.”

The document prepared by the Aviation Minister for Cabinet consideration said under its Concession Agreement clause that: “As payment for their services, the concessionaires receive a percentage of the gross revenues from the operation of the airport but are required to pay the airport owner the greater of this percentage amount or a minimum annual guaranteed amount.”