The long-awaited Upper East Regional Airport project has received a significant boost following a high-level site visit by the board and management of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). 

During the inspection, Mrs. Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, Managing Director of GACL, made a compelling call for the formal recognition of the Alagumbe Group, a local advocacy and facilitation body, for its instrumental role in advancing the project.

“What your group is doing is instrumental, and I want us to acknowledge them, and they should continue with that,” Mrs. Opare stated, highlighting the group’s commitment and supporting role in the government’s efforts. 

She further revealed that plans are advanced for President John Mahama to cut the sod for construction in the first quarter of this year, signalling the imminent start of physical works.

The visit, which included the Director General of the GCAA, Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, and the GACL Board Chairman and MP for Builsa North, Mr. James Agalga, aimed at a thorough assessment of the site and direct engagement with the landowners. 

The team expressed profound gratitude to the communities for their generosity in offering land for the project free of charge.

“Constructing the airport was a reality, and plans were far advanced from the government angle,” Rev. Arthur assured, echoing the sentiment that the project is now moving from blueprint to implementation. 

Board Chairman James Agalga reinforced this, urging the people of the region to be assured that “the Upper East Regional Airport is a reality.”

In response, the leader of the Alagumbe Group, Mr. Gabriel Agambila, pledged his group’s unwavering commitment to facilitating the project. 

He assured the board of their readiness to help in any way possible, drawing parallels to their successful advocacy for the establishment of a Passport Office in the region.

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr. Donatus Atanga, and the Regional Communication Officer of the NDC, Mr. Jonathan Salifu Abdallah, who joined the visit, shared in the optimistic outlook.

The  Minister stated that the greatest gift for the region would be to witness aeroplanes flying in and out, promising the full support of his office, landowners, and all stakeholders to realise the dream.

Mr. Abdallah, expressing visible excitement, noted that the current administration’s push for the airport demonstrates a working government that has the people of the region at heart.