The Deputy Minister for Transport, Hon. Dorcas Affo-Toffey, has undertaken a familiarisation tour of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The visit provided her with an opportunity to interact with the staff and management of the two agencies.
During her engagements, Hon. Affo-Toffey commended the workers for their dedication, pledging government, through the Ministry of Transport, would ensure that the agencies receive the necessary support to function effectively and contribute to the success of the government’s resetting agenda. She encouraged the staff of the two agencies to be more innovative and look beyond only aircraft operations.
The Deputy Minister then toured some facilities and projects of the two agencies. These included the repurposing of Terminal 2, the runway overlay project, the Air Navigation Services (ANS) building, the Control and Engineering Centres, and the Aviation Training Centre. She also inspected the ongoing office building project for GACL and the construction of the new tower for Air Traffic Control by the GCAA.
Management of the GACL briefed her on the increase in staff numbers, which had grown from 400 to about 1,600 nationwide, with over 1,000 based in Accra alone. Hon. Affo Toffey commended the management of both Agencies for their role in ensuring regulatory compliance, aviation safety, and adherence to international aviation standards.
“I am really overwhelmed with the progress of ongoing constructions; the Managing Director of GACL and the Director General of GCAA, together with the contractor, have told us the timelines for completion of the various projects they are undertaking. As a Deputy Minister, I would do a routine check-up, maybe every month or two, to ensure that the timelines are met,” she stressed.
Some challenges faced by the two agencies, including financial constraints, expansion needs, and connecting terminal 2 to terminal 3, were presented to the Deputy Minister. In response, Hon. Affo-Toffey assured management and staff that she and the Minister for Transport would work closely with them to address these concerns and provide full support to ensure smooth operations.
“I am assuring you that the Government, under the leadership of his excellency John Dramani Mahama, through the Ministry of Transport, would work with the managements of the two agencies to adopt best practices to ensure that these challenges are solved as soon as possible,” Hon. Affo-Toffey assured.
The Managing Director of GACL, Mrs. Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, highlighted the importance of government support in sustaining growth and meeting international benchmarks. She emphasised that the ongoing projects at Terminal 2 and the new office building for GACL would be completed by mid-year and July 2027, respectively
“I must say that the Government has supported us a lot in our journey of progress to this point. To the honourable Deputy Minister, I want to assure you that the total project for the terminal 2 would be completed by mid-year. So, we are expecting some international airlines to operate from the terminal by mid-year. The new office building would also be completed by July next year,” she added.
The Director-General of the GCAA, Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, also acknowledged the unending support from the government through the ministry and how the support has enhanced progress in the aviation industry.
He expressed appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama and the Ministry of Transport for the assistance they have given to ensure they operated smoothly as far as Ghana’s Aviation industry was concerned.
“We now have a fully completed new radar in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. The Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Naming Record (PNR) systems are 100% completed. The New Air Traffic Control Tower you see here at the (KIA) is also 54% completed, and I assure you that by December this year, we are hoping for it to be commissioned,” Rev. Arthur noted.
The Deputy Minister’s tour is part of the Ministry’s proactive approach to monitoring and supporting its agencies. By engaging directly with staff and management, Hon. Affo-Toffey's visit portrayed the government’s commitment to building a resilient aviation sector capable of meeting current demands and positioning Ghana as a competitive player in global aviation and making Ghana an aviation hub.
