Aviation Minister Joseph Kofi Adda has denied reports that government has received a proposal to allow a private company to be part of the management of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL).
According to him the Aviation Ministry has had no official meeting with the supposed private company, which is TAV-SUMMA — a Turkish Consortium.
The MP for Navrongo Central has pointed out that, all that has occurred with regards to the contentious matter is a cabinet approval of the Aviation Ministry to engage TAV-SUMMA.
This approval, according to him, is
“to engage TAV to discuss whatever ideas they may have and for us to also share with them what we think may be in the best interest of the company and Ghana.”
However, he indicated that the approved engagement or meeting has not taken place.
Mr Adda, therefore, repudiated concerns about the submission of a working plan by the Turkish company.
He reiterated the fact that, no official correspondence has ensued between the government and the private company and for that matter any supposed submission made is inaccurate.
However, staff of the Ghana Airports Company Limited have been demonstrating against what they believe is government’s attempt to engage private partners to run the company.
They claim government, through the Aviation Ministry intends to hand over the company to the Turkish investors and they cannot allow that to happen.
During a demonstration on July 8, outside the premises of the company, the workers, clad in red attires and arm bands demanded that the plans be aborted.
The Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited, Yaw Kwakwa, last week said that “The truth of the matter is that, we received a proposal from a consortium about possible partnership with us.” According to him the company could not be forced to say “yes or no” to the partnership.
In that vein, he made it clear that, he was disappointed by the stands taken by the workers about the proposed partnership with the Turkish company, TAV-Summa Consortium.
Mr Adda has indicated that, the potential partnership with TAV-SUMMA is to promote the administration’s aim of making Ghana the Aviation Hub within the West African Sub-Region.
Background
Earlier this month, the Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda, in a statement dismissed reports that government has concluded processes to privatize the management of Kotoka International Airport to a foreign company.
According to him, though the process of engagement has not begun, an Executive Approval has been signed by the President for the Ministry to facilitate the engagement with TAV-SUMMA Consortium, a Turkish firm, to improve service delivery and expansion of infrastructure at the Kotoka International Airport to achieve the government’s vision of making Ghana the Aviation Hub within the sub-region.
He also said that the Ministry is seeking about 40 million dollars to revamp the runway at the Kotoka International Airport.
Following the Ministry of Aviation’s clarification, the KIA branch of the Public Services Workers’ Union of the Ghana Airports Company Limited demonstrated against it.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Aviation and the Ghana Airports Company Limited, have explained that the capital injection is also required to clear outstanding loans used in constructing Terminal Three.
