The government is yet to decide on where to site the proposed new airport to serve the Central and Western Regions.
Despite the completion of feasibility studies on the project, a suitable site is yet to be chosen.
The Report of the Committee on Roads and Transport on the 2024 annual budget estimate of the Ministry of Transport, which has been approved by Parliament, notes that: ” [The Ministry] completed feasibility studies for the construction of an airport either in the Central Region, Western Region or in between the two regions [in 2023].”
The Central Region currently has no functional commercial airport, while the military airport in Takoradi is used for scheduled commercial flights.
The decision to construct an airport for each region or one to serve both regions has gone through many phases.
Ankaful was initially mooted as the possible location to site an airport for the Central Region.
The Central Region, which is a major tourism destination in the country, given its rich history and UNESCO World Heritage castles sited along the coast, is only accessible to tourists by road.
Travelling from Accra to Cape Coast is hampered by heavy vehicular traffic. It takes about two (2) hours to connect from Accra on a typical weekend when many people usually travel for tourism and social events.
TWI NEWS
Connecting with the regional capital, Cape Coast, from Accra is hampered by heavy vehicular traffic. It takes about two (2) hours to connect from Accra on a typical weekend when many people usually travel for tourism and social events.
Cape Coast played a crucial role in the success of the Year of Return held in Ghana in 2019. Indeed, a total of US$1.9 billion was generated into the economy through activities related to the “Year of Return.”
The programme also brought about an increase of over 200,000 in total arrivals into the country in the year under review.
The Beyond the Return and December in GH initiatives have also helped increase tourism revenue, with Cape Coast playing an integral role.
The Western Region is also one of the country’s most endowed areas and the oil hub.
The region also hosts a lot of foreign companies operating in the mining, manufacturing, and other sectors.