A storm is brewing over the future of the Ho Airport, as the Ranking Member of Parliament’s Roads and Transport Committee, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, has raised serious doubts about government’s commitment to convert the facility into a Pilot Training Academy and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) hub.
The lawmaker cited the absence of budgetary allocations in both the 2025 and 2026 national budgets and a lack of a clear implementation framework, warning that without these, the ambitious plan risks becoming another unfulfilled promise.
Addressing a news conference in Accra yesterday, Kennedy Nyarko Osei, said a careful review of the 2025 and 2026 national budgets shows no allocation whatsoever for the Ho Airport redevelopment, despite assurances by John Dramani Mahama in the 2025 State of the Nation Address and subsequent reiteration by the Finance Ministry.
According to him, the absence of financing, coupled with the lack of a defined implementation framework, raises fundamental concerns about whether the project was backed by any concrete planning.
“This is not just about an announcement. Infrastructure of this scale requires feasibility studies, financing models, phased implementation strategies and institutional coordination. None of these have been made visible,” he stressed.
From a technical standpoint, an MRO facility is a capital-intensive aviation engineering ecosystem, requiring specialised hangars, avionics systems, skilled workforce pipelines and regulatory certification.
Similarly, a Pilot Training Academy demands simulators, airspace management integration and long-term operational funding, elements that cannot materialise without structured investment.
Prempeh I Airport: ‘International in Name Only’
Turning to the Prempeh I International Airport, Mr. Kennedy Nyarko Osei described the omission of runway extension funding in consecutive budgets as a critical oversight.
He explained that without extending the runway to accommodate wide-body aircraft, the airport cannot handle long-haul passenger flights or heavy cargo operations, effectively limiting its international status.
“In aviation engineering terms, runway length determines aircraft class compatibility. Without this upgrade, the airport’s operational capacity remains constrained,” he said.
The Minority warned that failure to complete this phase risks turning prior investments into underperforming assets, incapable of delivering expected economic returns.
Tamale Airport: Export Hub Vision Stalled
Similar concerns were raised about the Tamale International Airport, where Phase 3 development has yet to commence.
The airport, which boasts one of the longest runways in the country second only to Kotoka International Airport was strategically positioned to serve as a northern agro-export hub.
However, critical infrastructure such as cargo terminals, cold-chain logistics systems and expanded apron space remain unimplemented.
From an engineering and logistics perspective, these components are essential for handling perishable agricultural exports, ensuring temperature control, reducing post-harvest losses and enabling efficient aircraft turnaround.
“The delay in Phase 3 is not just administrative, it represents a lost opportunity to integrate Ghana’s northern agricultural belt into global supply chains,” Mr. Kennedy Nyarko Osei warned.
Pattern of Incomplete Infrastructure
The Minority concluded that the issues surrounding Ho, Kumasi and Tamale airports point to a broader systemic problem, the failure to complete infrastructure value chains.
While initial capital investments are made, the critical follow-up phases required to unlock full economic value are often neglected.
This, they argue, reflects weak planning continuity, poor prioritisation and inefficient utilisation of public funds.
Call for Urgent Action
The Roads and Transport Committee is, therefore, urging government to adopt a more structured and transparent approach to infrastructure delivery by ensuring that clear budgetary allocations are tied to specific phases of each project, rather than broad, unsupported announcements.
The Committee further called for the full disclosure of all public-private partnership agreements, particularly those involving entities such as the McDan Group, to guarantee transparency, accountability and value for money.
In addition, the Minority emphasised the need for clearly defined implementation timelines, supported by measurable performance benchmarks to track progress and prevent project abandonment.
They also stressed the importance of integrated transport planning – arguing that aviation, rail and road infrastructure must be developed as a coordinated system to maximise efficiency and economic impact.
According to the Committee, failure to adopt these measures could leave Ghana with what it described as “stranded infrastructure” projects that exist physically, but are unable to deliver meaningful economic returns.
“The country cannot afford to invest billions only to stop halfway. Infrastructure must be completed, integrated and made functional to serve its intended purpose,” Kennedy Nyarko Osei concluded.
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