GHANA: New Airport To Be Built At Aflao

The Government has announced plans to build an airport at Aflao in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region.

Mr. Fifi Fiavi Kwetey, Minister of Transport and Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, gave the hint while commissioning a new terminal for the Metro Mass Transport Limited (MMT) at Aflao, on Monday, and said the airport would aid businessmen arriving from neighbouring countries for faster economic development.

“Aflao is a big hub for economic activity in the Volta Region, an important centre for many people from across the country, who come to trade, as well as a link into the country for many foreign businesses, and an airport here, therefore, makes an economic sense,” he said.

Mr Kwetey said for the right economic environment, roads in major towns in the Region, including Aflao, had been improved with the massive development in aviation and seaport industry, including the US$1.5 billion Tema Harbour improvement project and the Ho Airport, placing Ghana in the forefront of African development.

He said the Aflao MMT terminal was a promise fulfilled and announced that the Government, as the majority MMT shareholder, planned to provide 166 new intra-city coaches to augment the fleet position of the Company.

The Minister urged the Management and staff of the MMT to take good care of the buses and asked the drivers to respect other road users and practise defensive driving.

Mr Kwetey asked the electorate to vote for the ruling National Democratic Congress in view of its records.

Mr. Al-Hassan Ligbi, Managing Director, MMT, said the Aflao Terminal would, aside improving the socio-economic lives of residents, enhance its position as a strategic national transport infrastructure.

He announced the outfit’s planned to establish a Driver Training Academy to train its drivers for enhanced capacity for passenger safety and to introduce electronic ticketing to block revenue leakages on the buses.

Mr Ligbi said the Company was also working towards replacing its fleet of buses with new ones through its resources via “Suppliers’ Credit Arrangement”.

He also announced plans to improve the Company’s regional terminals with facilities such as retail shops, restaurants and food courts, car parks and office accommodation through a Public Private and Partnership (PPP) scheme to maximise patronage and revenue.

Mr. Leslie Tamakloe, the MMT Board Chairman, said the focus was to transform the Company into an enviable national transport company and commended the staff for their cooperation.

Togbi Amenya Fiti V, Paramount Chief of Aflao, described the project as “an honour done the people, but appealed for a bigger MMT terminal with the current ceded to the private transport companies.

The new terminal, with capacity to accommodate 300 passengers at a time, has passenger rest room, washing bay, offices, passenger reception point, and rest rooms for drivers and conductors.