The long-standing dispute over the siting of the proposed Upper East Regional airport has been settled, the regional Minister, Stephen Mahamudu Yakubu has revealed.
According to the minister, the technical committee which was set up to determine which of the proposed 3 sites – 2 within the Bolgatanga Municipality and one other in the Kassena-Nankana area – was more suitable for the siting of the airport has completed its work and recommended a site in the Bolgatanga Municipality for the airport to be situated.
The committee’s recommendation, Mr. Stephen Yakubu added, has since been given executive approval paving way for the commencement of construction works on the agreed site.
Clarifying the announcement by government in the 2021 budget to construct an aerodrome in the Navrongo-Paga area, the regional minister indicated that the Paga airstrip is set to be redeveloped into an aerodrome for usage by the Ghana Armed Forces while a new airport will be constructed in the regional capital for civilian air flights.
“What I understand is that there is going to be an aerodrome in the Paga area, like a military airport and there is also going to be a civilian airport in the Bolga area and my understanding is that that decision has actually been made. A committee was set up to look into the siting because there were actually two areas in the Bolga area here that they were looking at. And the committee was set up to come out with a draft proposal and my understanding is that it has been done and a decision has been made,” he stated in an interview on Dreamz FM.
Mr. Stephen Yakubu explained the decision to settle on one of the proposed sites in Bolgatanga, stating that the Paga area was found unsuitable for the siting of the airport as airplanes will have to enter Burkinabe territories before taking off or landing if it is sited there.
He expressed excitement about the decision to settle on a site in Bolgatanga for the construction of the airport and urged residents to seek divine intervention for it to come to fruition.
“So I am very excited that Bolga is going to get an airport and then also, we are not going to leave the Paga one because the Paga one is already there and the military is going to develop it in to that. The military is interested in its development because of our closeness to (Burkina Faso) and the security situation and all that. So they are going to develop that so that they can land there. And we will also have our civilian airport in Bolga here and government is working towards that so I think all Upper Eastners should pray and I am praying very hard”.
He added “The paga one (airstrip) needs just small works and my understanding is that because when the civilian planes take off, they go through Burkina Faso before it turns to Ghana territory and with that, they are not very comfortable with that”.
He, however, could not indicate which of the 2 sites in Bolgatanga has been settled on as he is yet to receive official briefing on the matter.
The siting of the planned airport has been a subject of disagreement and controversies in the region over the years leading to a clash between two neighboring communities – Sumburungu and Sherigu – in 2017.
Residents of Sumburungu had protested against plans to relocate the airport to Sherigu, accusing the then Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari of deliberately attempting to deny them what is rightfully theirs.
The residents of Sherigu responded subsequently cautioning the Sumburungu people to stop what they said is the vilification of Mr. Bukari and allow experts to determine a suitable site for the proposed airport.
The disagreement over the siting of the airport was almost settled until the then Aviation Minister and MP for Navrongo, who was vying to be elected as the NPP parliamentary candidate for the 2020 Elections, indicated in a radio interview that there were plans to relocate the siting of the planned airport to his hometown, Navrongo.
This sparked fresh confusion in the region leading to the setting up of a committee to resolve the matter.
