Joyce Bawa Mogtari Shares Exciting News About Bolgatanga Airport Project

This is what I think.

The commencement of work on the Bolgatanga Airport project is more than the construction of another piece of infrastructure. It represents a potentially transformative investment in the economic future of the Upper East Region and a renewed attempt to connect one of Ghana’s important regions more effectively to the national and international economy.

As President John Dramani Mahama begins his #ResettingGhanaTour in the Upper East Region, the proposed airport offers a tangible example of what strategic infrastructure can mean when development is approached beyond the confines of political slogans.

The planned 2,200-metre runway, apron for two aircraft, modern terminal building, taxiway, Air Traffic Control tower, rescue and firefighting facility and airfield lighting constitute the essential components of a functional regional airport. With an anticipated capacity of approximately 100,000 passengers annually and provision for future expansion, the project is clearly being designed with growth in mind.

But infrastructure must ultimately be judged by what it delivers to citizens.

For the Upper East Region, improved air connectivity could reduce the barriers created by distance and inadequate transport links. It could facilitate faster movement of people, strengthen business connections, support tourism and make the region more attractive to investors.

The potential employment impact is equally significant. Beyond the jobs created during construction, an operational airport can generate opportunities across aviation, security, hospitality, transportation, logistics, retail and other supporting sectors.

There is also a strategic dimension. The Upper East Region occupies an important position in Ghana’s northern corridor and has considerable agricultural, commercial, cultural and tourism potential. Better connectivity can help unlock these assets and integrate them more effectively into the national economy.

However, government must resist the temptation to measure success merely by commissioning ceremonies and photographs.

The real test will be whether the airport is completed within the projected 24-month period, delivered to the required technical standards and operated sustainably. The public deserves transparency on procurement, financing, construction milestones and expenditure. Every cedi invested must translate into value for money.

There must also be a clear strategy for ensuring that the facility remains commercially viable. An airport cannot become an expensive monument to political ambition. It needs airlines, passengers, cargo, tourism activity and complementary economic infrastructure to sustain its operations.

Government should therefore begin planning now for the ecosystem around the airport. Reliable road connectivity, public transportation, hotels, tourism facilities, security, digital infrastructure and investment promotion must accompany the airport if its full economic potential is to be realised.

The Bolgatanga Airport project must also transcend partisan politics. Infrastructure of this magnitude should be treated as a national asset rather than the exclusive achievement of whichever political administration happens to be in office when it is completed.

Ghanaians have seen too many projects become victims of political transitions, funding difficulties and changing priorities. The Upper East Region cannot afford another unfinished promise.

If properly executed and sustainably managed, the Bolgatanga Airport could become a catalyst for a new phase of economic activity in northern Ghana. It could bring markets closer, investors faster, tourists deeper into the region and opportunities closer to communities.

That is the promise.

Now comes the harder part: delivery.

President Mahama’s “Resetting Ghana” agenda will ultimately be judged not by the number of projects announced, but by the quality, speed and sustainability of projects completed.

For the people of the Upper East Region, the expectation should therefore be simple and uncompromising: build it, finish it, operate it and make it work.

The Bolgatanga Airport must not merely become another infrastructure project. It must become a functioning gateway to opportunity.

Ghana needs development. Are you ready for it?

Michael Agbesi Kelly

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