President John Dramani Mahama has announced that construction of a new airport for Wa, the Upper West Regional Capital, will soon commence, following the passage of the Airport Infrastructure Levy Bill by Parliament.

According to the President, the newly approved levy, which applies to domestic air tickets as well as international, African, and ECOWAS regional flights, will be paid into a dedicated fund to support the development of airport infrastructure across the country.

“Now that money is going to go into a fund. And that fund is going to be used to develop the airports around the country,” President Mahama said while speaking at the launch of the SheaPark Resource Hub Project in Wa.

He added that the Upper West Region would directly benefit from the initiative, stressing that the planned facility would replace the existing one.

“And I’m pleased to announce to you that Wa is going to be a beneficiary of this fund with the construction of a new airport, not the old airport,” he stated.

President Mahama explained that the current airport location posed significant challenges and was no longer suitable for expansion or modern aviation needs.

“As you yourselves can see, the road was diverted around the runway. And so, the Airport Company has decided on a site that was allocated years ago,” he said.

He further disclosed that officials from the Ghana Airports Company Limited had recently visited Wa to assess the proposed site ahead of construction.

“Staff of the Ghana Airport Company were in Wa to inspect the site for the construction of the new airport,” the President noted.

The new airport project is expected to enhance air connectivity to the Upper West Region, support regional economic growth, and improve access to Wa as the government rolls out broader infrastructure development initiatives nationwide.