The Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe has assured that government will allocate resources to complete the runway extension project of the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi by end of this year.

The completion of the extension project will allow some international aircrafts land in Kumasi safely.

Speaking to journalists at a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting organized by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Mr. Nikpe said the project is a priority to government. He expressed optimism the completion will add to Ghana’s drive to make the country an aviation hub in the West African sub-region.

“The runway is a little short for some of the medium body aircraft. Currently we have the runway space up to 1881 meters. We want to increase it to 2320 meters”, he said.

According to Mr. Nikpe, the completion of the project will allow some international airlines land directly in Kumasi.

“With that any flight from long distance and the medium body aircraft will be able to use the facility. We are very hopeful that by the end of this year, the runway would have been completed and would be put use”, he emphasized.

Speaking at the meeting, the acting Director-General of the GCAA, Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, pledged to complete projects being undertaken at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to position Ghana as an aviation hub in Africa.

He disclosed that there are a number of initiatives ongoing to lift the status of KIA among its peers as a destination for businesses and an air traffic centre.

He stated, for example, that the upgrading of KIA’s tower centre will help attract more airlines and make Ghana a stop point for most international carriers.

“The construction of the modern air traffic control tower centre will transform our airspace management systems, boosting radar surveillance, communication efficiency, and safety protocols. All these projects are very much on course”, he said.

He assured that GCAA is working closely with the government and other external partners to ensure the completion of the projects on time. 

“It is expected that by the end of next year, the modern air traffic control centre will be completed. The forthcoming implementation, or I must say that it is even ongoing, is more than 80% complete. The infrastructural part of it is 100% complete,” he announced.

He added that the GCAA is also enhancing its data system to coordinate and harmonise flight activities at the airport. 

“What exactly am I referring to? I am referring to the advanced passenger information system and the passenger name record system that is long overdue to be implemented in Ghana”.

Providing some details, Rev. Arthur said the sophisticated advanced passenger information system will improve security by receiving all passenger data at a central point to be analyzed by the state security agencies when needed.

This, he said will help the Ghana Immigration Service identify persons entering Ghana’s airspace before they land at any airport in the country.

He stated that the system is in full alignment with global aviation security architecture, allowing Ghana to plug in to the new paradigm of coordinated efforts against cross border crime.