Paga Airstrip to be Commercialized

08-12-10

A team made up of the Civil Aviation Authority, the 4th Infantry Engineering Regiment of the Ghana Armed Forces, and the Ghana Air Force have visited the Paga Airstrip at Paga in the Upper East region to have a feasibility study that will lead to realigning and the reduction of obstacles on the run way to make way for commercial use in the near future. The facility is intended to facilitate medical evacuation in the region to other parts of the country and boost commercial activities and also easily link the region to other regions and neighboring countries. The Manager of Aerodrome, Safety and standards of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Mrs. Anita Adjei Nmashie disclosed that, 500 million Dollars has been earmarked for expansion of the Tamale Airport for International use and part of this amount will be used to develop the Paga Airstrip to boost the transportation industry in the region. She said after the study the Minister will be briefed on the details of the possible options what will be feasible to restructure the airstrip. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo, called on the people living around the airstrip to co-operate and understand so that work can go on. He said though the land has been paid for by Government before the Second World War, the people who will be affected in the process of expanding the area will be compensated after the completion of the facility. He stressed that there will be a cold storage facility that will store vegetables produced by farmers in the region for easy airlifting to the southing part of the country. This he said will also raise the standard of agriculture in the region and reduce poverty especially among the farmers. The Wing Commander of the Ghana Armed Forces, Frank Hanson, stated that the airstrip can be used as it is now but be limited to some specific aircrafts. He said it is possible to reshape the run way to do away with landing aircraft running into the air space of Burkina Faso which he said always cause inconveniences.

GBC END GMST