1 week Ago By Ghana News
The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) has inspected the site earmarked for the construction of the proposed Bolgatanga Airport in the Upper East Region. Located at Anateem, a community near Sumbrungu in the Bolgatanga Municipality, the District Road Improvement Project (DRIP) equipment had moved to the site, clearing the vast land of about 2,000 metres long as the runway, at the time of the visit. The residents had released over 7,000 acres of land for the construction of the airport in the early 1980s, but governments over the years failed to construct the project to facilitate easy travel to the nation’s capital.
After years of failed attempts, Alagumgube Group, an Association of sons and daughters of the Region living within and outside the country, has taken up the initiative to start the project by self-funding the clearing of the land. The GACL’s inspection of the site follows President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to construct the airport during his “Thank you” visit to the Region. Yvonne Afriyie Nana Opare, Managing Director (MD), GACL, who led the technical team from the Company to the site, said the inspection was in line with a directive from President Mahama through the transport minister, Joseph Bukari Nikpe.
The Manager said the inspection was part of preparations for the construction of the airport, expected to be completed by the end of 2025. She said all necessary requirements would be established to begin the process of construction, and she thanked Alagumgube Group for clearing the land at their own cost and creating a path for a runway of 2,000 metres. “We thank them that they have started this.
This shows a lot of seriousness for this project, and the President also attaches a lot of seriousness to it. As the months go along, you will see some visible signs of us having started this project,” the MD said. Donatus Akamugri Atanga, the Regional Minister, called for an all-hands-on-deck approach towards the project, devoid of politics, “If this airport is constructed, it will benefit everybody irrespective of political affiliations”.
He said nine Districts out of the 15 Municipalities and Districts had gold deposits, and that apart from ordinary residents, the airport would help the mining companies in the Region to easily transport their products. “Apart from that, we have about eight border Districts to Togo and Burkina Faso. This means that international business would boom with the construction of the airport, and this airport will supersede all other airports in this country,” he said.
The minister disclosed that the cost of fuel to operate the DRIP equipment released by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) was handled by the Alagumgube Group, and expressed gratitude to them for working to ensure the airport was constructed. Naba Napariyong Kosom Asaga Yelzoya II, the Paramount Chief of the Nangodi Traditional Area, and spokesperson for the Regional House of Chiefs, noted that for the over 30 years that the land was released for the project, residents never farmed or made any investments on it. “You can imagine how much we have lost,” he said, and urged the Mahama-led-government not to disappoint the Region this time.
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