The current decision to rename the Tamale Airport has left the King of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II, dissatisfied.
President Akufo-Addo, in the State of the Nation Address, disclosed the government’s intention to rename both the Kumasi and Tamale Airports upon completion, with the latter to be called the Yakubu Tali International Airport.
Nevertheless, the Ya-Na’s office contends that bestowing the Tamale Airport name upon Yakubu Tali, a Tolon-Naa, could lead to undesirable disputes in the Northern Region.
A statement from the Ya-Na’s office emphasizes that such a decision might stir controversy, which the President is not ready to handle. The Ya-Na asserts that the honor should instead be reserved for the Na-Gbewa.
King of Dagbon, Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II, has said that Akufo-Addo’s intention to name Tamale Airport after a son of the land, Tolon Naa Alhaji Yakubu Alhassan Tali is unacceptable to citizens of Dagbon.
He said that since President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo announced during the State of the Nation Address the government’s intention to rename both the Kumasi Airport and the Tamale Airport upon their completion, ” the Gbewa Palace has been inundated with calls pleading that the proposal be shelved.”
Thus the Ya- Na’s assertion that the move “will be contentious and counterproductive.”
Adding that “It will draw our traditional state and entire Northern Region into needless controversy,” a letter from the Dagbon stated indicated.
The Ya-Na’s office is certain that the President is not prepared to handle the controversy that comes with naming the Temale Airport after Yakubu Tali
The office then suggested that such honor should instead be conferred upon the Na-Gbewa.
The Transport Minister, Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, has announced that the new terminal building at the Tamale Airportwill be operational by July 31, 2023.
He made this announcement in Parliament on Friday, July 14, in response to a question by Mr Musah Abdul-Aziz Ayaba, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Mion.
The completion of the Tamale Airport Phase II project was reported to have been largely achieved in August 2022.
Following that, an Operational Readiness and Transfer program was initiated in the same month.
This programme aimed to ensure a smooth transition from the construction phase to the operational phase, mitigating potential risks and preventing any performance issues that could tarnish the country’s reputation.
Originally, the terminal’s “Go-Live” date was set for December 2022 to facilitate operations and seamless integration of airport systems. However, this timeline had to be adjusted to allow for comprehensive training, Site Acceptance tests, and systems integration.
Transport Minister Asiamahshared the exciting update with Parliament, stating, “Mr. Speaker, I wish to inform this August House that, having completed all these, the ‘Go-Live’ for operationalization of the New Terminal Building is scheduled for July 31st, 2023.”
In response to another question from Mr. Ayaba regarding Phase 3 of the Tamale International Airport, Minister Asiamah explained that it is currently in the conceptual stage.
An Expression of Interest is being prepared for an Engineering, Procurement Contractor, and Financing (EPC+F) to support the next phase of development.
The upcoming operationalization of the new terminal building at Tamale Airport is a significant milestone for Ghana’s aviation sector. It promises improved facilities and services for travelers, ensuring a more seamless and enjoyable travel experience.
The construction of the Phase two of the Tamale Airport Development Project has been completed at a cost of US$70 million and awaiting commissioning by the end of this year.
The 5,000-square metre airport, with an annual passenger throughput of 400,000 capacity, is expected to boost the local economy, tourism and investment drive to the Northern Region.
The expansion works included the construction of a modern terminal, VIP Lounge, two boarding gates, four self-service check-in kiosks and eight check-in desks.
Other ancillary facilities were airline offices, commercial retail area, a multi-purpose terminal for Hajj travel facilitation, 350-capacity car park and a five-kilometre road network.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, the Northern Regional Minister, announced this in Accra on Sunday when he took his turn at the Minister’s press briefing.
The Minister updated the public on major physical infrastructure and social services undertaken by the Government over the past five years, especially on health, transport, agriculture, One- District, One-Factory and projects being implemented under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) by the Northern Development Authority.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on August 15, 2019 cut the sod for the construction of phase two of the Tamale Airport Development Project and scheduled to be completed within 26 months.
“It is on record that the Tamale Airport can boast of the best Tarmac in the country. It could be a major hub for air cargo for exporting agricultural produce in the West African Sub-region,” Alhaji Saibu emphasised.
The interchange would boost the local economy, create employment and add to the beauty of the city, the Minister stated.
Six flagship programmes under the “One-district, One-factory” were in operation in the Region, employing more than 1,000 permanent and 3,000 casual workers respectively, he said.
Alhaji Saibu stated that a total of 353.79 kilometres of road projects were ongoing in the Region, with 60 per cent of them at various stages of completion.
Also, the Ghana Highway Authority had undertaken various road maintenance works such as regravelling, rehabilitation, resealing and sectoral rehabilitation works on roads across the Region including Salaga-Bimbilla road, Tamale-Daboya road and Kpatinga-Gaa road as well as rehabilitation of the Barwah Barracks, the Minister said.
Under the $2-billion-dollar Ghana-Sinohydro Master Project Support Management, the Minister said the first-ever Interchange in the northern sector of the country was constructed-Tamale Interchange- which was opened to traffic on March 29, 2022 by President Akufo-Addo, thereby opening up the local economy and creating many employment avenues for the teeming youth.
On health, he said, a total of 118 projects were ongoing including CHPS compounds, health centres, clinics, maternity wards, accommodation for health workers and administration blocks, with 82 of them completed, representing 72 per cent.
The Minister said although there had been tremendous progress in infrastructure facilities in the Region a lot more needed to be done to enhance the living standards of the people and eradicate poverty from the Region.
The Tamale Airport Development Project’s Phase Two of development has been finished, costing US$70 million, and is ready for commissioning by the end of the year.
The 400,000 passenger capacity, 5,000 square meter airport is expected to increase investment, tourism, and the local economy in the Northern Region.
A contemporary terminal, a VIP Lounge, two boarding gates, four self-service check-in kiosks, and eight check-in desks were all built as part of the extension project.
Additional amenities included airline offices, a commercial shopping center, a multipurpose terminal for Hajj travel assistance, a 350-space parking lot, and a five-kilometer road system.
Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, the Northern Regional Minister, announced this in Accra on Sunday when he took his turn at the Minister’s press briefing.
The Minister updated the public on major physical infrastructure and social services undertaken by the Government over the past five years, especially on health, transport, agriculture, One- District, One-Factory and projects being implemented under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP) by the Northern Development Authority.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on August 15, 2019 cut the sod for the construction of phase two of the Tamale Airport Development Project and scheduled to be completed within 26 months.
“It is on record that the Tamale Airport can boast of the best Tarmac in the country. It could be a major hub for air cargo for exporting agricultural produce in the West African Sub-region,” Alhaji Saibu emphasised.
The interchange would boost the local economy, create employment and add to the beauty of the city, the Minister stated.
Six flagship programmes under the “One-district, One-factory” were in operation in the Region, employing more than 1,000 permanent and 3,000 casual workers respectively, he said.
Alhaji Saibu stated that a total of 353.79 kilometres of road projects were ongoing in the Region, with 60 per cent of them at various stages of completion.
Also, the Ghana Highway Authority had undertaken various road maintenance works such as regravelling, rehabilitation, resealing and sectoral rehabilitation works on roads across the Region including Salaga-Bimbilla road, Tamale-Daboya road and Kpatinga-Gaa road as well as rehabilitation of the Barwah Barracks, the Minister said.
Under the $2-billion-dollar Ghana-Sinohydro Master Project Support Management, the Minister said the first-ever Interchange in the northern sector of the country was constructed-Tamale Interchange- which was opened to traffic on March 29, 2022 by President Akufo-Addo, thereby opening up the local economy and creating many employment avenues for the teeming youth.
On health, he said, a total of 118 projects were ongoing including CHPS compounds, health centres, clinics, maternity wards, accommodation for health workers and administration blocks, with 82 of them completed, representing 72 per cent.
The Minister said although there had been tremendous progress in infrastructure facilities in the Region a lot more needed to be done to enhance the living standards of the people and eradicate poverty from the Region.
The expansion works, costing $70 million, including the construction of a modern terminal building and other ancillary facilities such as a VIP lounge, two boarding gates, four self-service check-in kiosks, eight check-in desks, airline offices, commercial retail areas, a multi-purpose terminal for Hajj travel facilitation and a five-kilometre road network.
The airport also has a 350-capacity car park, a technical area, which includes a reservoir for potable water and firefighting, a sewage treatment plant, among other facilities.
“The economic importance of the airport to the region cannot be overemphasised; suffice it to say that there is serious potential for investment in a maintenance, repair and operation (MRO) facility in the future for the West African sub-region.
“It could be a major hub for air cargo for the exportation of agricultural produce,” he said, adding: “It is on record that the airport can boast of the best tarmac in the country.”
According Alhaji Shaibu, a third phase of the airport project would include the expansion of the terminal, the car park and other auxiliary facilities.
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The Northern region, with Tamale as its capital, was the largest region in the country until the Savannah and the North East regions were carved out of it.
It has a total land area of about 26,911 kilometre square, making it the second largest region in terms of land mass.
The region shares borders with the North East Region to the north, the Savannah Region to the west, the Republic of Togo to the east and the Oti Region to the south.
According to the 2021 Population and Housing Census, the total population of the region was 2,310,939, of which 1,141,705 are males and 1,169,234 females.
Alhaji Shaibu said out of the 16 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the region, eight — Sagnarigu, Savelugu, Nanton, Saboba, Mion, Kpandai, Nanumba South and Kumbungu — were benefitting from the Agenda 111 projects, including a psychiatric hospital which would be constructed in Tamale.
“I am happy to announce that work on all eight projects are progressing steadily and when completed, access to good health facilities and the well-being of our people will be very much improved,” he said.
The minister also said 82 of the 118 other projects being executed by the MMDAs in the health sector had been completed and were in use.
Alhaji Shaibu further said there were a total of 353.79 kilometres of road projects being undertaken by the Ghana Highway Authority, with about 60 per cent of the projects at major stages of completion.
“A total of 45km of roads have had asphalt overlay in Tamale, with 9km of Yendi town roads also done, while works are ongoing in the other municipal and district assemblies,” he added.
According to him, six factories under the IDIF initiative were functional and had employed more than 1,000 permanent and about 2,000 casual workers.
Alhaji Shaibu also said that under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), a total of 311 projects, covering four sectors — small dams, water systems, water closet toilets and prefabricated warehouses — had been carried out across the region.
