Ghana now has a fully functional international airport in Tamale

On Tuesday afternoon, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia launched the second phase of the development project at the Tamale International Airport (TIA) in a brief ceremony, officially ushering Tamale, the capital of the Northern Regional, into a new era.

The airport has officially opened to international air travelers now that it has earned international status as a result of the expansion project.

This comes after the Ghana Airport Company Limited’s (GACL) project underwent successful tests and simulation exercises.

A new terminal building, as well as ancillary facilities like a VIP lounge, two boarding gates, four self-service check-in kiosks, eight check-in desks, airline offices, commercial retail areas, a multipurpose terminal for Hajj travel facilitation, and a five-kilometer road network, were all built as part of the expansion works, which cost US$70 million.

The airport also boasts a technical area with a reservoir for potable water and firefighting, a sewage treatment facility, and a 350-space parking lot, among other facilities.

Airport facilities

The Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, opened the facility on Tuesday and stated that it was built for a passenger throughput of 400,000 per year. He also added that with the opening of the new terminal, a number of airlines would now be flying directly from Tamale to various locations around the world.

According to him, the project was in accordance with the government’s initiatives to improve the infrastructure for the airline sector in order to spur economic growth, draw in international investors, and establish Ghana as an aviation center for the West African sub-region.

A vital hub for air travel from the North and the Sahel to Europe and beyond, the Tamale International Airport (TIA) would now serve as a strong complement to the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) for international travel.

According to him, “Agriculture is known as a major sector in the north, so this project would help boost agro-based agriculture, as it is a major hub for air cargo for the exportation of agricultural produce to Europe and other parts of the world.”

Dr. Bawumia added that the annual Hajj pilgrimage had also benefited significantly from the new terminal’s ability to house more planes for foreign flights.

Trading internationally

The new airport, according to Transport Minister Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, is a gateway to fostering international trade, tourism, and culture.

He urged international airlines to think about expanding their services to the area while pleading with current domestic airlines to boost their frequencies so that services are always available to the visiting people.

He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to extending aviation infrastructure and services to all areas of the nation, noting that over the previous six years, the aviation sector had undergone a significant expansion of services and infrastructure due to the implementation of the government’s liberalized sky policy.

Opportunities for investing

The project, according to Northern Regional Minister Shani Alhassan Shaibu, showed that the administration was concerned about the people of the area and the entire northern part of the country.

In order to open up the area and assist in creating jobs for the teeming youth, he urged investors to think about investigating the many investment opportunities in the area.

Background

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo turned the first sod on Thursday, August 15, 2019, to kick off the second phase of the Tamale Airport’s restoration.

The project was anticipated to be finished in 30 months and was funded by a United Kingdom Export Finance (UKEF) program with assistance from KFW IPEC-Bank.

The scope of work included building a 1,000 square meter Hajj facility, a 5,000 square meter modular airport terminal building that can be expanded in the future, a single carriageway access road, landside, and airside infrastructure customized for the terminal size, and water, electricity, and sewage infrastructure deemed essential for regular operations.

VVIP and VIP lounges, three boarding gates, four self-service check-in kiosks, 12 check-in desks, operational offices, airline offices, administrative offices, baby care, commercial and rental spaces, and an underground water tank will all be present at the new airport.

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