Minister of Aviation, Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has questioned the integrity of work being done at the Wa Airport and asked that payments to the contractor be suspended.

The shoddy works were detected at the airport apron and other facilities at the main office block, warranting the suspension of payment of cheques until quality work was delivered.

“We want value-for-money work delivery. We will not allow any contractor to short-change the taxpayer. Quality work is our goal,” she said.

Skill Link Limited is the company carrying out work on the Wa Airport.

Ms Dapaah issued the directive when she inspected constructional works at the Wa Airport during a day’s working visit to the Upper West Region to take a look at facilities at the airport and ascertain what was needed to make the airport serviceable.

She said the government would support local contractors by giving them such contracts and expected nothing but quality work delivery.

The Aviation Minister also asked the Ghana Airport Company to consider the extension of the runway at the airport to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft while efforts were also made to seal an underground tunnel.

“We cannot invest in a facility and allow it to go waste. The Wa Airport has no fire station and we cannot compromise on safety,” she said.

Meanwhile, the land used for the airport was acquired by the government but compensation has not been paid to the land owners and this has resulted in the sale of some parts of the land to private developers who have encroached on the land.