General News of Friday, 10 July 2020

Source: rainbowradioonline.com

GACL strategic partnership not in Ghana’s Interest - Minority

Kwame Governs Agbodza, Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee Kwame Governs Agbodza, Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee

The Minority in Parliament has indicated that the proposed Strategic Partnership Arrangement between GACL and TAV-SUMMA Consortium to improve service delivery and expansion of infrastructure at the Kotoka International Airport is not in the best interest of Ghana.

The Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee of the House, Kwame Governs Agbodza, addressing a press conference on Friday said Ghana does not need a strategic partner when we can find the money ourselves.

“Ho is completed but not in use. Kumasi is under construction. We have taken a loan already. Tamale is under construction. Wa has been completed. Kotoka itself is over capacitated. I’m saying that Terminal Three will take 5 to 7 years to reach its full capacity. Terminal Two recently got upgraded and is not even in use.”

“They only hand over Terminal One to McDan and nobody even knows what he is doing there so what exactly is the strategic investor bringing? Is it to come and manage it because maybe the Minister and the Director are all not capable of managing it.”

“So I don’t think at this stage of Ghana’s life we needed a strategic investor to manage an airport when we can find our own money to build it. We don’t need anybody to manage it for us. So whoever doing the negotiations, we are told there is no agreement yet so whoever is in this strategic discussion should please watch what you are doing because it is not in the interest of Ghana,” he said.

The Minister of Aviation Mr. Kofi Adda this week dispelled reports that the government had sold the GACL to a private investor.

According to him, the Ministry it is considering “a proposed Strategic Partnership Arrangement between GACL and TAV-SUMMA Consortium to improve service delivery and expansion of infrastructure at the Kotoka International Airport to achieve Government’s vision of making Ghana the Aviation Hub within the West African Sub-Region”.

“In this regard, an Executive Approval was granted by H.E. the President for the Ministry to facilitate the engagement of the Strategic Partners”.