The Executive Director of Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), Bismarck Adongo Ayorogo, has expressed concern over opposition to the construction of an Upper East Regional Airport.
Speaking to Gerard Asagi on the Day Break Upper East Show, Mr. Ayorogo emphasized that advocating for the airport does not mean neglecting other developmental needs of the region.
“Why are we doing this to ourselves? The conversation about the airport is not mutually exclusive from other development projects. Nowhere in the 1992 Constitution does it state that if the people of the Upper East Region receive an airport, they lose their right to demand other forms of development,” he argued.
He dismissed claims that prioritizing the airport would come at the expense of other essential infrastructure, stating, “The argument that if we go in for the airport, we won’t get other things is simply not true.”
Responding to a recent opinion piece opposing the airport’s construction, Mr. Ayorogo acknowledged that the writer’s reference to the Auditor-General’s report—raising concerns about the economic viability of some airports in Ghana—was economically valid. However, he was quick to add that economic arguments alone should not determine development priorities.
“That is only the opinion of a classical economist. As a student of development studies, I have learned that in the 1960s, a country’s development was measured purely by macroeconomic indicators. However, experts later realized that despite high economic indicators, living conditions in some countries were worsening.”
This, he suggested, means that while the economic concerns raised against the airport may seem logical, they do not necessarily reflect the practical needs of the people.
Source: A1Radioonline.com | 101.1MHz | Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith | Bolgatanga
