President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday inspected the proposed site for the construction of the Upper West Regional Airport in Wa.

This forms part of the President’s two-day Resetting Ghana Tour of the Upper West Region.

He said the old airport was an airstrip, but was no longer fit for purpose, explaining that there was a time when the main Wa–Nadowli road crossed the runway but was later diverted, and the runway was fenced to improve safety.

He noted that since then, there had always been a proposal to build a new airport to serve Wa and the Upper West Region.

“By the grace of God, we now have both the opportunity and the resources to make that vision a reality,” President Mahama said.

He reiterated that the Ghana Airports Company had secured the funds needed to implement the project.

“We are therefore not looking for financing because the money is already available. We completed procurement, and the contractors were selected. Very soon, the people of Wa will see construction work begin on the new airport,” the President stated.

He noted that their objective was to connect every part of Ghana through efficient domestic air travel.

He said it should not take nine or ten hours to drive from Wa to Accra when the same journey could be completed in about one hour and fifteen minutes, which would make it easier for people to travel, conduct business, and return home without spending days on the road.

The President said some people had observed that the airport site was a little farther from Wa, stating that projects like this required them to think not only about today, but about the next 20 years.

He said the Accra International Airport was once located outside Accra in what was then bushland, but today, development had expanded so much that there was hardly any land left around the airport.

President Mahama said in the same way, the proposed Airport would encourage Wa to grow and expand in this direction.

“I believe it will become a major blessing for the Upper West Region. Once the contractor officially mobilises and begins work, we will return to cut the sod for construction,” he said.

President Mahama said the new Airport would be equipped with modern navigational facilities and that it would also have runway lighting, allowing aircraft to land safely during the day and at night.