The Minister of Aviation, Mrs Cecilia Abena Dapaah, has said the government would look for funding to make the Wa Airport operational.
“We will address all challenges impeding the operations of the airport,” the Aviation Minister told Mr Sulemana Alhassan, the Upper West Regional Minister, during a courtesy call on him.
“We are here to see for ourselves what is happening in the Wa Airport construction, find out why domestic airlines are not yet patronising and what we could do to make it functional,” she said.
Mrs Dapaah said it is the vision of government to open up the region to the rest of the country through air transport.
Mr Alhassan appealed to the government to consider expanding work on the Wa Airport to meet the standard of an international airport.
The provision of the airport had been considered as a fair share of the distribution of the national cake meant to promote business transaction, he added.
Air transport would also help travellers in the region to avoid the frequent armed robberies and accidents associated with road transport.
Mrs Dapaah also paid a courtesy call on the Wa–Naa, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo, the overlord of the Waala Traditional Area, and called for support to address issues affecting the smooth operations of the airport.
She pleaded with the Waala Traditional Council to help find amicable solution to disputes between the Ghana Airport Company and private developers who had encroached on the airport land.
The Paramount Chief of the Guli Traditional Area, Guli Naa Seidu Braimah, who spoke on behalf of the Wa-Naa, said the airport was dear to the hearts of people in the region.
He said travelling by air would not only reduce travel time but also enhance business promotion.
Naa Braimah said apart from the promotion of internal trade between the region and other regions in the country, air transport would also boost economic activities between people in the region and neighbouring Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
He, therefore, appealed to the government to provide the needed facilities and equipment to make the airport operational to accomplish the dreams of the people.
The Guli-Naa reminded government that some years back, a plot of land was identified for the construction of a new airport and appealed to the Ministry to revisit the area and consider providing new airport of international standards to the Region.
He said the Upper West Region was ready to support government to provide an alternative means of transport for the people and urged government not to fail them.
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