Ho airport to boost tourism

The contruction of a regional airport at Ho, capital of the Volta Region, is expected to boost tourism in a region endowed with so many tourists attraction. The potential of the region to attract a large number of in-country and foreign tourists is not in doubt.

Perhaps after the Central Region, it is the second-most endowed region in terms of tourism sites --- waterfalls, forests, animal sanctuaries among others.

Ho Municipal is one of the 25 Municipalities and Districts in the Volta Region of Ghana. The Municipality is also administrative capital for the People of the Volta Region, which is endowed with fertile land suitable for the cultivation of yam, rice, maize, and onion.

Fishing is also a major occupation of tens of communities sited along the Volta River.

This was well acknowledged by President John Dramani Mahama at the official sod-cutting ceremony for the airport.

He described Ho as a region with many tourist attractions and a unique location.

“The decision to develop a domestic airport in Ho is to enhance the tourism potential in the region. The expected impacts include directly providing employment within the air transport industry; such as airline and airport, aircraft maintenance; air traffic control and meteorological services; and indirectly Ho providing employment for ancillary support services in the air transport industry, for example aviation fuel and construction companies.”

Manufacturers of goods sold in airport retail outlets and a wide variety of activities in the business services sector are also benefit from this investment.

The Ho Airport project will include runway dimensions of 1,900-metre long and 30 metre-wide aprons; air traffic control, passenger terminal building capable of accommodating 150,000 passengers a year; baggage handling systems, boarding gates; CCTV’s, fire detection systems;VIP and VVIP facilities; and firefighting and water storage facilities.

“On completion, the airport is expected to accommodate ATR 72 aircraft or their equivalent, will allow direct domestic flights to other airports in the country, and also serve as an emergency landing point whenever the need arises.

“The construction of Ho Airport’s perimeter fence, which began early this year, will be completed soon. This is expected to secure the land and deter encroachment, to protect the project and future expansion.

“To further enhance the financial viability of the airport, the layout has provision for business activities/facilities including hotels, conferencing facilities, shops, restaurants, office complexes, health facilities, etc. This will be a mixed-market high-density commercial development to serve as an economic growth node of the region,” President Mahama said.

Mrs. Dzifa Attivor said one of the key transport sector policy objectives is to make Ghana a transportation hub in the West African sub-region, through the provision of adequate infrastructure and services which meet demands of the sector.

She said the Ho Airport sod-cutting is a demonstration of government’s efforts at living up to its promise of ensuring the Volta Region is not left out in the development process.

She stressed that the domestic sector is growing at an exponential rate, hence the need to improve existing airport facilities as well as initiate new ones to fulfil the policy of ensuring airports are developed in every regional capital of this country.

She said the decision to construct HO Airport can only be said to be timely, as it is meant among other things to accelerate the Volta Region’s development and shorten travel time from other parts of the country to the region.

She urged Management of the Ghana Airports Company Limited to put in place a good maintenance plan when the project is completed.

The Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Charles Asare, said the company will continue to discharge its mandate of developing, managing and maintaining all airports and airstrips in Ghana.