The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, has stated that plans to establish an aviation training school at the Ho Airport are still on track.
He explained that the school would train world-class pilots for all markets.
Once the training institution is well-established, it will be expanded to include facilities for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of aircraft.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic covering various topics, including his plans for the traditional area, Togbe Afede disclosed that although he paid for the land for the project in June 2023, he still does not have the land.
The payment, amounting to $32,445 (one-third of the price), was made to the Ghana Airport Company Ltd (GACL).
“They promised us that within two weeks after we visited the airport with the managing director and his team in February 2024, the allocation would be made to us,” he said. “But we are still waiting for the allocation of the land. However, we are ready to proceed.”
He further explained that the business plan had been updated, and the company that would build the hangar had been identified.
However, the aircraft have not yet been acquired, as they can only do so when the hangar is completed.
“The hangar may take some time to build, but we have identified companies that can complete it within months. These companies will build the components, ship them to the country, and install them,” he added.
On the Ho Airport, Togbe Afede XIV emphasized that it was built by the previous government. While others are still planning how to commercialize it, he decided to exploit the airport’s commercial potential by establishing the aviation training school.
“We hear complaints every day that the Ho Airport is becoming a white elephant. Now that we want to start something useful, we are facing frustrations,” he stated. “Once we establish the training school, we will not only have paid for the land, but we will also be using the facility and paying fees to the airport company. We can convert it into a hub for training pilots, not just for Ghana but for the subregion and beyond. That would be phenomenal, putting Ho firmly on the aviation map.”
Togbe Afede, the founder of several businesses in the country, mentioned the challenges of introducing development to his traditional area, as he does not have stool land, and much of the land is owned in small lots by different people.
Before the outbreak of COVID-19, he said, they were seeking thousands of hectares of land in northern Ghana for large-scale commercial agriculture.
Similarly, they had been looking for land in North Tongu for a mixed farm, as well as land to establish a charter city and build solar facilities. Asogli Power is in the process of acquiring four sites from his colleague chiefs in northern Ghana.
In 2011, Togbe Afede successfully established a sister relationship with a province in China, which led to an agreement for an experimental rice farm. Unfortunately, disputes over land halted the project.
“We have made genuine attempts, but now we are being more deliberate about it. We are preparing a development plan that will see us intervene across various sectors,” he concluded.
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