A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School (UGBS) has said the promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to construct an airport in Cape Coast does not make economic sense.
According to Dr Lord Mensah, the traditional routes plied by motorists are dotted with bustling economic activities which could dwindle if this project is to materialise.
During his address at the launch of the party’s Election 2020 manifesto, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia disclosed that the NPP will construct an airport in the Central Region.
“For the people of Cape Coast, I have good news for you. We are building a new harbour in Cape Coast and a new airport in Cape Coast,” he said.
But speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews August 24, Dr Mensah explained that the potential loss of income by the affected business men and women in the value chain casts doubts on the feasibility of the manifesto promise economically.
“There is an economic reason why if you travel on a road from Accra without much delay all the way to Cape Coast, you could see that there will be some spillovers of economic activities on the highway,” the lecturer said.
He wants the energy and resources to be channeled towards upgrading the road network leading to the region instead of the development of an airport which he believes must not be top on the list of the government’s priorities.
“If you develop these roads instead of allowing people to fly within 20 and 30 minutes to Cape Coast, you’ll realise that during the feasibility studies where you give alternatives of such investments, you’ll come to understand that traveling on the road will be more beneficial than looking at just flying,” he added.
Meanwhile, a cross-section of Ghanaians have questioned the novelty of the campaign promise as they believe it was hatched by the former President John Atta Mills.
In the lead-up to the 2008 General Election, the then-flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prof. John Atta Mills indicated that he will establish an airport facility in the Central Region when elected president.
According to him, most of the regions in Ghana have airstrips, opening such places to development and hoped such a facility would create employment in the area, especially for the youth.
The late Prof. Mills was speaking at Effutu in the Cape Coast Metropolis in September 2008 as part of his tour of the region where he implored the people to vote massively for him and the NDC to make the promise a reality.