Ghana’s Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia has commissioned the second phase of Tamale International airport in Ghana. Work started in July 2019 and included the construction of a 5,000-square-metre terminal building with a capacity of 400,000 passengers annually along with a VIP lounge, two boarding gates, two self-service check-in kiosks, eight check-in desks, airline offices, commercial retail areas and a car park that can accommodate 330 cars.
Furthermore, a new multi-purpose terminal was also built, which was completed in 2022, and transported hajj pilgrims during the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in 2022 and 2023. According to the Ghana Airports Company, the Tamale airport is being developed gradually as part of a strategy to turn it into a backup airport for the southern Kotoka International airport in Accra, Ghana, with the ability to accommodate wide-body aircraft in an emergency.
Cost of the phase 2 of Tamale International Airport project
The US$70 million project was constructed by the UK subsidiary of Brazil contractor Queiroz Galvao. And was co-financed by a US$55.7 million loan from UK Export Finance. A new 5-kilometer road network off the Tamale-Bolgatanga road was also built. To facilitate easy accessibility to the airport.
Bawumia said, “This project is expected to encourage more commercial trade. And strengthen Tamale’s standing as a sub-Saharan airport for flights to and from West African nations in the Sahel region. The government will make use of the Tamale airport to support initiatives run by the Northern Development Authority of Ghana to gather fresh agricultural goods for export to other parts of the world. Additionally, the development of agro-based businesses in northern Ghana will benefit from the advancement of agriculture.”
Additionally, Ghana has six functioning airports, with international flights currently departing from Kotoka and Tamale. In 2022, the nation achieved an annual throughput of 852,101 domestic passengers. And 1.8 million foreign passengers, according to Ghana Airports Company. Furthermore, In 2021, there were 722,721 domestic passengers and 1.3 million foreign passengers.
