Procurement Process for New Wa Airport About to Commence, President Mahama Announces
President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the procurement process for a new airport in Wa is about to commence, as part of wider investment in the country’s transport infrastructure.
The President made the announcement when he received the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs on a courtesy call, where he commended the traditional authorities for their role as custodians of tradition, guardians of peace and partners in community development.
He said Government was improving transport infrastructure across the country, including roads, railways and air travel, with the Wa airport project forming part of that broader push.
President Mahama said the Upper West Region, though one of Ghana’s smallest geographically, held strategic importance as the country’s gateway to Burkina Faso and the wider Sahel region, positioning it as an important centre for cross-border trade under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
He said the Sawla-Tuna-Wa road, part of the Wenchi-Bamboi-Bole-Sawla-Tuna-Wa corridor, was being re-engineered into an asphaltic concrete road, while the Wa-Hamile road linking Ghana to Burkina Faso would also undergo reconstruction.
Work was continuing on the Wa-Hamile-Tumu-Navrongo-Bolgatanga corridor, he said, and additional roads not captured in the first phase of the Big Push infrastructure programme were being considered for the second phase.
President Mahama said Government would continue investing in feeder roads, with selected roads in the region set to be upgraded into bituminous surface roads under a $300 million World Bank programme.
He disclosed that the contractor working on the Mishio Bridge had been directed to return to site, and that work had resumed.
He said Government was also accelerating investments in health infrastructure, medical equipment and healthcare personnel for underserved communities, including the continuation of work on 35 selected Agenda 111 hospitals nearing completion, two of which are in the Upper West Region.
“Roads are the arteries of economic growth. They connect farmers to markets, children to schools, and patients to health facilities,” he said.
He commended the Regional House of Chiefs for helping to maintain peace and stability in the region despite security challenges in parts of the wider Sahel area.
Richard Aniagyei, ISD
