Another $150m Loan For Tamale Airport

After spending $130 million to upgrade the Tamale Airport to an international one, the Mahama administration is seeking for additional $150 million for the phase two of the project.

The $130 million for the phase one was basically used for expanding the runway with no significant improvement except that five flights took off for the recent Hajj to Saudi Arabia.

The original project was initially pegged at $100 million but at the commissioning of the phase one, Fifi Kwetey, Transport Minister, announced that the upgrading had jumped to $130 million, raising questions about the cost of the project.

Concerned Ghanaians wondered why Ethiopia was able to build three airports with $66 million while the Tamale runway expansion alone cost $130 million.

Interestingly, the project was sole-sourced to a Brazilian construction company,   Queiroz Galvao.

Three loan agreements totalling $150 million were laid in parliament yesterday for work to be done on the phase two of the design and construction of the Tamale International Airport in the Northern Region.

The Tamale loan agreements are also between Banco Santander SA and Queiroz Galvao Construction.

Another loan agreement of €144.3 million was also laid in parliament by the government for the development of the Kumasi International Airport in the Ashanti Region.

The loan agreement is among the government, Banco Santander SA and Contracta Construction of the United Kingdom.

Four loan agreements have been referred to the Finance Committee of Parliament while two were referred to the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament.

Details of the works and the specific amounts of money allocated for them (works) would be presented to the various committees by the government. Reports of the committees might be presented for debate and approval of the loans by Friday, October 28.

Many MPs from the minority side have indicated to DAILY GUIDE that they are waiting for the details of the loan agreements and the reports by the two committees before they will comment on the new loans.

It will be recalled that there was huge hue and cry over $29 million loan agreement for expansion works at the Kumasi Airport, out of which $23.8 million was used to expand the runway, with the minority seriously accusing the government of doing little work at the airport  with so much money.

By Thomas Fosu Jnr