GHANA – British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ghana’s President Akufo-Addo are expected to sign a £40 million (about 44.44 million) agreement this week which will see the construction of a new terminal as part of the upgrade of the Kumasi Airport.
The facility which forms part of a pre-financing agreement between the two countries will be disbursed after the UK-Africa summit in London.
Speaking to a Ghanaian radio station, UK’s High Commissioner to Ghana Iain Walker said the agreement will position Kumasi as a trade destination in Africa.
Walker said, “We have invested in two things; particularly the airport extension which means more planes could land there.”
Walker also revealed that the UK will also be announcing at the summit the building of a new terminal at Kumasi adding that “is not about aid but helping Ghana to get more investment”.
The expansion project at Kumasi International Airport is being carried out in two phases. A US$29 million rehabilitation project was carried out under phase one by December 2014.
Aeronautical ground lighting systems were installed and the existing runway was rehabilitated under the project.
Ground-breaking for the €66.35 million ($75.23 million) second phase of the expansion project was held in November 2018.
Phase two involves construction of a new passenger terminal and multiple service facilities at the airport.
The new terminal will have the capacity to handle more than one million passengers a year upon its completion.
The existing runway will be extended from the current length of 1,981m to 2,300m, enabling the airport to accommodate wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 737-800.
An additional apron area and associated taxiway will also be constructed as part of the project by the second half of 2020.
Ghana’s President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has already left the country to attend the UK-Africa Investment Summit being held in London, in the United Kingdom.
The UK-Africa Investment Summit, being hosted by British Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. Boris Johnson, MP, will bring together “businesses, governments and international institutions to showcase and promote the breadth and quality of investment opportunities across Africa”.
Whilst in the UK, President Akufo-Addo will deliver, on Tuesday, 21st January, the keynote address at the Ghana Investment Opportunities Summit – a summit which aims to bring delegates, especially from the United Kingdom, to explore investment opportunities in Ghana.