Mahama announces construction of new Wa Airport after levy approval

President John Dramani Mahama has announced that work will soon begin on the construction of a new airport in Wa, the Upper West Regional Capital, following Parliament’s approval of the Airport Infrastructure Levy Bill.

The President explained that the levy, which applies to domestic flights as well as international, African and ECOWAS regional air travel, will be paid into a dedicated fund to finance airport infrastructure development nationwide.

“Now that money is going to go into a fund. And that fund is going to be used to develop the airports around the country,” President Mahama said during the launch of the SheaPark Resource Hub Project in Wa.

He said the Upper West Region would be a direct beneficiary of the initiative, announcing that the fund would be used to build a completely new airport for the regional capital.

“And I’m pleased to announce to you that Wa is going to be a beneficiary of this fund with the construction of a new airport, not the old airport,” he stated.

President Mahama noted that the existing airport site presents serious limitations and is no longer suitable for expansion or modern aviation requirements.

“As you yourselves can see, the road was diverted around the runway. And so, the Airport Company has decided on a site that was allocated years ago,” he explained.

He further revealed that officials of the Ghana Airports Company Limited had already visited Wa to inspect the proposed site in preparation for construction.

“Staff of the Ghana Airport Company were in Wa to inspect the site for the construction of the new airport,” the President added.

The new airport is expected to significantly improve air connectivity to the Upper West Region, boost economic activity and enhance access to Wa as part of the government’s broader national infrastructure development agenda.