A growing controversy is threatening progress on the Upper East Regional Airport project, following allegations that the Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Atanga Akamugri, has sidelined the very group that has led advocacy for the project for years—the Alagumbe Association.

The Association, founded and led by Mr. Gabriel Agambila, has been instrumental in pushing the airport agenda from its earliest stages.

The group has financed land documentation, engaged communities, supported technical work, and liaised with traditional authorities to secure land for the project.

However, speaking on A1 Radio, Mr. Agambila accused the Minister of “kicking out” the Association from recent documentation processes and secretly facilitating the signing of key project documents in Accra without their involvement.

Despite being listed as a signatory to the final documents, Mr. Agambila said he never signed any paperwork.

“I haven’t signed any document. Yet the documents are in Accra with all signatures. The landowners told me they signed, and I personally confirmed at the office of the CEO of the Ghana Airport Company that the documents had arrived,” he said.

Deeply frustrated, Agambila recounted how he left his job in the United States and spent 11 months in Ghana, coordinating land acquisition and negotiations with chiefs and communities—only to be excluded at a crucial stage.

“I confronted the Minister. He told me the documents were needed urgently. But who could have done it faster than someone who left his job and family abroad to fight for this project?” he asked.

His sudden removal from the process has reportedly upset the chiefs and landowners who have long collaborated with the Association.

Some threatened to withdraw their lands in protest until Agambila intervened to calm tensions.

Over the years, the Alagumbe Association has gone beyond mere advocacy. They financed the extension of the runway, performed traditional rites after the construction affected a sacred grove, purchased gravel to improve access roads for inspectors, and sustained community backing through continuous engagement.

Having worked under three different regional ministers, the group now feels betrayed.

“It’s like an insult. We invested energy, money, and our reputation—only to be treated as though we don’t matter,” Agambila lamented.

He suggested that the sidelining may have been politically motivated, noting that the individual who submitted the documents to Accra was described as a “party person.”

Still, Agambila stressed that the Association’s work is strictly non-political.

“We are doing this for the region. Ministers come and go. This project outlives politics,” he said.

Despite the friction, the Association remains committed to the airport project. Agambila revealed that new investors have already expressed interest and are awaiting a meeting with the Roads Minister and the Ghana Airport Company.

“We won’t relent. The region is fighting, and Alagumbe is fighting. If we secure the benefits, they are for the people—not for any individual,” he stated.

As the dispute unfolds, residents of the Upper East Region are watching closely, hopeful that political disagreements will not derail one of the region’s most anticipated infrastructure developments.