Aviation Minister Kofi Adda has said the Terminal 3 edifice put up at the Kotoka International Airport by the erstwhile Mahama administration has 513 defects which the Akufo-Addo government is fixing.
“Of course, the initiative is commendable”, he said in an interview with Starr FM on Wednesday, 16 October 2019 but added: “As to whether the implementation was right is also another thing”.
“As of the time we took over, we detected over 500 defects on the Terminal 3”, stressing: “In fact, at the last count, we had 513 defects, and these are things we are still working to fix”.
Partly funded by the African Development Bank, the US$250-million Terminal 3, which became fully functional on 15 September 2018, is aimed at easing pressure on the existing two terminals at KIA.
The new terminal comprises of five levels spread across an area of 48,268m² and semi-closed areas for the Baggage Make-up Areas of 28,260m², Ultra-Modern facilities and capacity to handle 5 million passengers a year; capacity to process 1,250 passengers per hour; six boarding bridges; 7 links (expandable to 8 in the future); Large retail area (7000m²), CIP terminal and 707 Car parking slots and a new Road network.
Mr Adda’s comment comes a day after President Nana Akufo-Addo said the policies put in place by his government within the aviation industry has culminated in the ranking of KIA as the best in West Africa and fourth-best on the continent.
Addressing the opening ceremony of the 28th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly Conference and Exhibition in Accra on Tuesday, 15 October 2019, President Akufo-Addo said: “Ghana’s aviation industry has seen considerable growth in recent years, made possible by the continuous creation of a stable political, social, and economic climate”.
“We have liberalised the regulatory framework in which the industry operates. In addition to this, we have abolished the 17.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on domestic airfares, which has led to almost a doubling of domestic passenger traffic. International passenger numbers have grown by 6.7% as at September 2019, compared to 2018. Air freight movement has also increased by 5.9%.
“Currently, thirty-eight (38) airlines are operating in Ghana, and they connect directly to 30 different destinations around the globe. It is, thus, not a surprise that 1.3 million tourists visited Ghana in 2017, and the industry contributed $2.7 billion to our GDP. There was a slight decline in 2018, with an industry contribution of $2.5 billion to our GDP”, he noted.
According to him, the Ministry of Aviation has also initiated plans for a dedicated programme, dubbed ‘Aviation-Driven Developments’ that seeks to use aviation as a driver of socio-economic transformation.
“It will see the construction of a Maintenance, Overhaul and Repairs Facility at the Tamale International Airport; construction of cargo facility; development of aviation training organisation for pilot training; and construction of state-of-the-art control tower at the Kotoka International Airport, amongst others. Our airports will continue to undergo systematic facelifts through infrastructure rehabilitations. We also intend to continue to open up the country by constructing additional airports to serve as feeders to Kotoka International Airport.
“The progress being made in the aviation sector is ample evidence of our commitment to collaborate and cooperate with all industry stakeholders, and to champion the cause of global and regional policies such as the ‘No Country Left Behind Initiative’, the Single African Air Transport Market, and, thereby, enhance safety and security. Our efforts ensured that in April this year, after the International Civil Aviation Organisation concluded its Coordinated Validation Mission, Ghana obtained an Effective Implementation Rate of 89.89%, the highest by an African country”, he added.
The President said “as a result of the strong policy initiatives by the government, and the adherence to high Airports Service Quality Standards at the various airports, ACI ranked the Kotoka International Airport as the best airport in West Africa, and 6th in Africa in the last quarter of 2018. The airport has been ranked again 1st in West Africa, and 4th in Africa, in the first quarter of 2019”.
Below is Akufo-Addo’s full speech at the event:
Address By The President Of The Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, At The Opening Of The 28th Airport Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly Conference And Exhibition, On Tuesday, 15th October, 2019, At The Kempinski Hotel, Accra.
I am delighted to welcome all of you to Accra for the 28th Airport Council International (ACI) Africa Annual General Assembly, Regional Conference and Exhibition. Akwaaba, as you know by now, is our word of welcome to a country that is governed by the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability. Ghana is a stable, functioning democracy which has embarked on rapid private sector-led economic growth.
Ladies and gentlemen, this forum provides the aviation community on the continent with an opportunity to share and disseminate vital industry information to strengthen and improve the air transport industry. Indeed, the theme for this conference, “Smart Airports of the future, are we ready?”, imposes the responsibility on African countries to incorporate cutting-edge technologies into the design and operations of airports in today’s constantly-changing technological world.
The importance of the aviation industry in making the future ours is critical. According to the 2017 figures released by the International Air Travel Association (IATA), the global air transport industry supports 62.7 million jobs worldwide. Aviation’s global economic impact amounts in value to $2.7 trillion, with 3.5% of global GDP supported by aviation. Every day, 9.8 million passengers take to the air with one hundred and four thousand (104,000) flights, and some $18.6 billion worth of goods are carried. IATA notes that air traffic, globally, has been growing at 5% annually, and is projected to grow at 5.6% per year over the next twenty (20) years. It is estimated that the air transport industry in Africa, in 2017, supported some 6.2 million jobs, and contributed US$55.8 billion to Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), with a 4.5% growth rate. According to IATA, Africa, by 2037, and at an annual growth rate of 4.6%, will have a total market of 334 million passengers.
In order to maximise the full potential and benefits of the aviation industry, upon my assumption of office in January 2017, I re-established the Aviation Ministry to develop the Ghanaian aviation industry, and make it competitive in West Africa, with the ultimate goal of making Ghana an aviation hub within the Region and beyond. Completed and ongoing aviation projects in all parts of the country re-assure me that this vision will soon be realised. We have started the construction of new aprons at the northern end of the Kotoka International Airport; the construction of new passenger Terminal Buildings for the Kumasi International Airport and the Tamale International Airport, alternatives to the Kotoka International Airport; and the rehabilitation of the Sunyani Airport.
Ghana’s aviation industry has seen considerable growth in recent years, made possible by the continuous creation of a stable political, social, and economic climate. We have liberalised the regulatory framework in which the industry operates. In addition to this, we have abolished the 17.5% Value Added Tax (VAT) on domestic airfares, which has led to almost a doubling of domestic passenger traffic. International passenger numbers have grown by 6.7% as at September 2019, compared to 2018. Air freight movement has also increased by 5.9%. Currently, thirty-eight (38) airlines are operating in Ghana, and they connect directly to 30 different destinations around the globe. It is, thus, not a surprise that 1.3 million tourists visited Ghana in 2017, and the industry contributed $2.7 billion to our GDP. There was a slight decline in 2018, with an industry contribution of $2.5 billion to our GDP.
The Ministry of Aviation has also initiated plans for a dedicated programme, dubbed “Aviation-Driven Developments”, that seeks to use aviation as a driver of socio-economic transformation. It will see the construction of a Maintenance, Overhaul and Repairs Facility at the Tamale International Airport; construction of cargo facility; development of aviation training organisation for pilot training; and construction of state-of-the-art control tower at the Kotoka International Airport, amongst others. Our airports will continue to undergo systematic facelifts through infrastructure rehabilitations. We also intend to continue to open up the country by constructing additional airports to serve as feeders to Kotoka International Airport.
The progress being made in the aviation sector is ample evidence of our commitment to collaborate and cooperate with all industry stakeholders, and to champion the cause of global and regional policies such as the “No Country Left Behind Initiative”, the Single African Air Transport Market, and, thereby, enhance safety and security. Our efforts ensured that in April this year, after the International Civil Aviation Organisation concluded its Coordinated Validation Mission, Ghana obtained an Effective Implementation Rate of 89.89%, the highest by an African country.
Furthermore, as a result of the strong policy initiatives by the government, and the adherence to high Airports Service Quality Standards at the various airports, ACI ranked the Kotoka International Airport as the best airport in West Africa, and 6th in Africa in the last quarter of 2018. The airport has been ranked again 1st in West Africa, and 4th in Africa, in the first quarter of 2019.
Nonetheless, as recently pointed out at a recent SMART Airports conference in Singapore, free, fast internet, for example, has now become a must-have in airports across the world, if your airport is to be described as SMART. From automated check-ins, passport control and boarding, to reducing the amounts of time spent going through security, airports around the world are finding ways to make the time spent there more pleasurable. The application of digital innovation and automation is a priority, if airports in Africa are to compete with their counterparts across the world.
I will be taking a keen interest in the deliberations and outcomes of this conference, and we, in Ghana, look forward to working with the ACI to develop further our aviation industry. I wish you fruitful discussions, a successful conference, and an enjoyable stay in our hospitable city. Once again, akwaaba.
Accordingly, ladies and gentlemen, I declare the 28th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly Regional Conference and Exhibition duly opened.
May God bless Mother Africa, and us all.
I thank you for your attention.
Source: starr fm
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instead of you people(NPP) to challenge yoursef by building an even better Terminal 4 you are here f0000000ll....ing, sia man. 513 defects indeed. lazy man.
HAHAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA MR ADDA CAN YOU HEAR YOURSELF. HAHAAHAAAAAAA MAHAMA'S TERMINAL THREE. SIR I LIKE THE STATEMENT. GOOD MORNING. MAHAMA'S TERMINAL THREE.
the N1 highway keeps flooding everytime it rains. l have never heard the NPP and its appointees criticizing Kuffour for that. today, we shouldnt give any credit to mahama because the terminal 3 is defeated..what sort of logic is this. These NPP apparatchiks have nothing to offer this country apart from hate and super-incompetency.
NPP just started one village one dam. its so bad that 3 kids drown in those so called dams, should we clap for them for the construction of the so called dams? hypocrisy is what will kill the NPP. The terminal is defective so we shouldn't give the credit to mahama but Nana Addo.. who should we give the credit of the so called deadly dams to? super-incompetency at its best
This guy is a foouulllll
What a hilarious comment? With 513 defects we've still been ranked first, this must be a divine airport. You've made my day bro.
Honesty is an expensive virtue, so don't expect it from dishonest people. Simply put, if with all the 513 defects and still you got that ratings, then it's most likely you are causing those defects and are still trying to sabotage the whole thing. Please the burden on most people is overwhelming already try and make it light by speaking peacefully and productively
Mr son of a rat, you have a beautiful name, no wonder you support nana addo. Can you tell me whether nana addo is using his pocket money to fund free SHS? So why does you and all npp spokespersons keep bragging about it. You these guys, the way God will punish you, you haven't seen anything yet.
Why don't you say he didn't do anything rather? In fact nana addo and his appointees are too ras cal. Ebei, must you always find reason to lie to Ghanaians. Everyone knows dumsor ended before you took over, yet the ras cals say they did it. Now because of disgrace and shame the terminal 3 had 513 defects. For three years you never told Ghanaians about these defects but when the award came you are now saying you fixed 513 defects. May God forgive you all.
Did Mahama pay for terminal 3 from his pocket? Don't tell me he owns it. What was he in power for? Was he not paid for his services as president and is still enjoying being a former president?