Title for the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) lands is being finalised to allow the Ghana Airports Company commence various planned projects within its enclave, Transport Minister Fifi Kwetey has said.

“We are in discussions with management of the KIA and we are confident we will see an end to that very soon. Assurances have been given so that we are almost at the end of the tunnel when it comes to final title for the land.

“It is not going to be possible to move ahead with the new Airport City II project concept unless we are able to secure the title. That project is a huge next step. In order to reach that level, we need to finalise the issue of land title.”

The country’s only international airport is not clearly delineated, leaving the state-owned airports company -- established in 2006 -- in no position to fight off encroachers.

The GACL recently received offers from stakeholders that will legally allow it to fully own the lands in and around the KIA and Kumasi Airports.

“We have made good progress. We have received offers for our Kumasi and Accra lands. We have accepted the offers, and so the next step is for the lease to be given to us. It is also a process that one needs to persistently chase: we have made good progress on that and we will work on the others,” Charles Asare, GACL Managing Director said.

The company, early this year, also reached an amicable settlement of a boundary dispute between the airports operator and the Ghana Air Force.

“We have reached a compromise with the Ghana Air Force; the Air Force is no longer a problem. The first thing we can do is get the airport to obtain a defined line area with the right legal backing so that it can protect its land. We have settled with the Ghana Air Force so we are in discussion with the Lands Commission for it to cede our land to us and give us a title, so that should any new encroachment happen we can block it,” Mr. Asare told the B&FT in an earlier interview.

Activities of encroachers within the airport enclave in recent times have compromised safety at the airport. This year, incidences of domestic animals straying onto the airport runway and parking bays have increased significantly.

“The real problem is the others who have encroached on the land due to past acquisitions made without regard for air safety. Now what we have to do is make sure that the land use of encroachers is consistent with the airport’s safety operations.

“When humans move close to the airport it creates safety hazards. When they move in, they generate trash and this attracts scavenging birds; these are all safety hazards for jet planes. The incidence of such things jumped between 2013 and 2014 by as much as 75 percent.

“We are coming to a compromise with the existing ones so that we can work with them. Some of them have papers, so you have to recognise their rights but appeal to them on the safety aspect,” Mr. Asare said.