President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has announced works on a proposed airport at Sherigu in the Bolgatanga Municipality of the Upper East Region will soon begin.
Though the president was not specific when works on the proposed airport will start, he acknowledged the economic importance of providing the people of the region with an airport not only as a safer means of transport but also to serve economic purposes.
“I have been up here in the Upper East Region and in Sherigu, I have come across some land that the chiefs there have given out which is hoped to be the basis of an additional airport in the northern region of Ghana in addition to the one in Tamale. So, this request of yours for an an airport in the Upper East Region, is something that is already on the drawing board and very soon, you will see signs of movement on that.” The President said.
Sumbrungu airstrip site
But should the people of the region be enthused about the latest announcement by President Akufo-Addo? Because, in November 2004, former and late Vice-President Aliu Mahama told the people of the region that government had secured funds for the construction of an airport at Sumbrungu, also in the Bolgatanga Municipality.
According to him, a runway and reception facilities were expected to be constructed at the site, which is about nine miles from Bolgatanga.
In 2015, former President John Dramani Mahama broke grounds for the construction of an airstrip at Anateem within the Sumbrungu community and announced that construction work would begin on the same project in March 2015. That never happened.
In May 2017, the Minister for Aviation, Cecilia Dapaah disclosed that government will construct an airstrip at the proposed site within its first term to create an enabling environment for business activities and tourism.
She said, as part of government’s efforts to open up the country to local businesses, the construction of an airstrip and subsequently, an airport was important.
With the latest announcement by President Akufo-Addo, not many residents are enthused nor hopeful will they get an airport until it is constructed.
Meanwhile, the change of site from Anateem, the originally proposed site for the airstrip to Sherigu, nearly brought a bloody clash between Sumbrungu and Sherigu communities.
Source:A1Radioonline.com/101.1FM/Ghana
