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Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II asked the Ministry of Transport to immediately conduct a Transport Impact Assessment (TIA) to determine the number of vehicles that should be authorized and imported into Ghana.
This exercise, he noted, should be done in collaboration with the Ministry of Roads and Highways to determine the number of vehicles crisscrossing the country’s various motorized road networks.
The objective of this exercise, according to Asantehene, is to decongest unnecessary traffic jams on the various road networks of the country.
“There are so many cars imported into the country. This requires or critically calls for a transport impact study. If we are successful, we will be able to determine the number of vehicles that have been imported into the country as well as the number of vehicles required to travel our roads at any given time. How many kilometers of motorable road networks are there in Ghana that we allow to import so many vehicles? Everyone has the right to import a vehicle, but it is necessary to determine how many of them could use our roads at any given time, ”he noted.
He added that “while the Ministry of Transport is carrying out the transport impact study, the Ministry of Roads and Highways will also be able to tell us the number of road networks that could be opened to accommodate these vehicles. . All of this affects the economy. We buy diesel or gasoline and waste it on traffic. It’s not good for us ”.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu II made this presentation on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, when the Minister of Transport, the Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, paid a courtesy visit to him in Manhyia, to ask for his blessings and to request permission to inspect the progress of the expansion works of the Kumasi airport project which is underway.
Mr Asiamah was accompanied by the Acting Chief Director of the Ministry of Transport, Ms Mabel Sagoe, Director of Policy and Planning, Ministry of Transport, Ms Irene Messiba, General Manager of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Yaw Kwakwa, Director General, Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Charles Krakue and other ministry technical staff, GACL and GCAA.
Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) is a technical analysis of traffic and safety issues related to a specific development. The main objective of the TIA report is to determine whether a particular development project will have an impact on the safety and efficiency of road networks.
In Ghana, traffic congestion is a major problem, especially in the central business districts of the three major cities, leading to massive delays and wasted fuel, decreased productivity, reduced sales, stress and disruption. loss of money.
For King, once a TIA is performed, it will help reduce vehicle time on the road, increase productivity, and save money.
Investigate the agitations of GACL workers
Turning his attention to issues relating to the aviation industry, the King asked the Minister of Transport to probe the recent unrest of GACL workers and resolve all related issues to enable Yaw Kwakwa to operate in a peaceful environment.
For the King, Mr. Kwakwa has done a tremendous job at GACL considering the huge debt he inherited and the way he insures them, in particular, the US $ 274 million loan facility obtained by the government to finance the construction of Kotoka International Airport (KIA). Terminal 3.
“I don’t know why the workers are agitating but Yaw Kwakwa is doing very well. So, please investigate and let me know the outcome. The workers’ unrest may be fueled by someone who may be interested in Kwakwa’s position. If you follow everything the workers union says, you will not be able to repay the loan. The income generated by GACL now goes into an escrow account to service this loan. If Kwakwa has embezzled funds, he should be sacked, but if he works hard to service this loan and also enhance Ghana’s image, he should be encouraged and supported to continue his work, ”he said. he noted.
Safety records at KIA
Otumfuo further praised the leadership of the GACL and that of the GCAA for ensuring high aeronautical standards for the KIA, a feat which resulted in the victory of KIA as the best airport in Africa 2019 by size and region. with a passenger population of between two and five. million euros as well as the best airport 2020 in terms of safety by the Airports Council International.
“I was delighted to hear about your excellent safety results at KIA. Now Ghana is on top and this is what we have been striving for for years. Congratulations to Yaw Kwakwa and Charles Krakue. This achievement tells us that if we last, Ghana progresses but if we slack off on our efforts, Ghana fails and it is not good for us, ”he advised.
The king also praised the government for upgrading Tamale and Kumasi airports to international status, noting that such a move will make air travel much easier for travelers, regardless of their destination, to browse. long distances to Accra to catch a flight to Europe and other areas. of the world.
In conclusion, Otumfuo called on the government to ensure that the Kumasi airport runaway is extended to allow the Boeing 373 to land at the airport.
Kumasi Airport Expansion Project Progressing Steadily
The Minister of Transport, the Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, for his part, thanked the king for his continued support to the government and assured him to comply with any demands he made.
Commenting on the Kumasi airport expansion project, Asiamah welcomed the level of progress made so far, but noted that the completion date has been postponed to 2022.
“Phase II includes one terminal and one terminal and added phase III which includes runaway and apron. So they do it at the same time. Phase II is supposed to end around October or November 2021, but since Phase III was added to it, the completion date was postponed to 2022. I was concerned that the novel coronavirus pandemic would have a negative impact on the work but the contractor and the consultant have done well to prevent us from incurring project overrun costs, ”he noted.
No compensation for intruders
Hon. Asiamah further called on the media to help the government tackle private real estate developers and individuals who have encroached on Kumasi airport land. However, he warned that no promoter who encroached on airport land will be compensated.
“Once you build on GACL land, we won’t pay any compensation. No one will be compensated. And so, if you think that you are going to come and rely on GACL to be compensated, I am sorry, not a pesewa will be paid to you and we also have the full support of the king ”, he underlined.
Start of the Airport City project
Regarding the Airport City project, the Minister of Transport explained that the project is a private project where interested parties will receive GACL approved designs to be developed at their own expense.
He said the processes leading up to the start of the project will start at the end of the year, ensuring that once completed the project will start smoothly.
“When you get to the end of the year, you will learn more about the Airport City project. At that point, the feasibility studies would have been completed by the GACL, ”he said.
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