The promise by the Mahama government to airlift pilgrimage to this year’s Hajj in Mecca directly from the Tamale International Airport may not be fulfilled because the reconstruction of the airport will not be completed in August as envisaged.
The Brazilian Contractors, Queiroz Galvao Construction told the minister of Transport, Dzifa Attivor who visited the facility recently that works on the runway had delayed due to deposits of clay soil discovered by the company, which required a considerable amount of time to excavate.
Mrs. Attivor expressed serious disappointment about the failure by the contractors to complete the airport project as planned, since it has the potential to discredit the credibility of the government. According to her, she expected the timeline for completion of the project to be met to enable the Hajj pilgrims fly direct from Tamale so as to reduce cost.
The first phase of the project involves the extension of the runway from the current 2,480 metres to about 3,940 metres and the installation of a complete lighting system to be able to accommodate bigger aircrafts.
Mrs. Attivor told the contractors that the government would not accept any additional cost for the said extra works being done by the company to get the airport ready. She, however, commended the Brazilian contractors for not grossing over the problem they encountered but putting in the necessary steps to correct them.
The Minister was confident that the Tamale International Airport would, to a large extent, bring a lot of economic benefits to the northern sector and Ghana as a whole. She encouraged the local people to tap into the potentials of the north and conduct more businesses to better their lives.
The Project Manager of Queiroz Galvao Constructions, Mr. Ruben Claudio O. Weto said the first phase of the project was at its last stages but due to the technical hitch it had to delay for a while. According to him, the project had benefited the local people in the north since about 90 percent of the workers on-site were local people.
The Managing Director of Ghana Airport Company Limited, Mr. Charles Kwame Asare urged the contractors to speed up work to meet the six months’ deadline they had requested for, and also ensure quality work for sustainability.
He indicated that the upgrading and expansion of the existing airport infrastructure was very crucial to the government to attract more investors and boost the economy of the nation.
Meanwhile, the phase-two of the Tamale Airport project will include the maintenance, repair and overhaul area within the hangar and that the commencement date for the phase-two would be announced in due course.
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