GACL at 20: Minister Wants Accra Int’l Airport Among Africa’s Best

 

Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe has asked what more can be done to make Accra’s airport the best in West Africa or in Africa, as the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) marked its 20th anniversary.

He said he is confident GACL will “continue this legacy of good and excellent services”. Delays, he said, can damage the passenger experience, and management and staff must show travellers that Ghana’s airport can compete.

Mr Nikpe said President John Dramani Mahama wants to provide the infrastructure the sector needs, and that it will come into use over the next two decades. The workforce and management, he said, will decide how that turns out.

Vice President Prof Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang said new terminals and runways will be worth the most if they are run well. “Modern infrastructure will be most valuable when paired with efficient operations, sound commercial management, and reliable maintenance, and of course, consistent, high-quality service,” she said.

She said international passenger traffic at Accra International Airport grew from 1.8 million in 2022 to 2.5 million in 2025. Terminal 2 is being repurposed to handle domestic and international flights and ease pressure on Terminal 3. A connecting concourse is being built so passengers can move between the terminals without going outdoors.

GACL Managing Director Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare said it should be finished around this time next year. The runway is also being rehabilitated and expanded, including its lighting.

The Vice President said she was pleased that GACL is looking for other sources of income. In August, she said, President Mahama broke ground for a commercial development at the airport with a multi-storey car park, hotels, and retail and business facilities. GACL is paying for it from its own resources. She said it will help fund the maintenance and development of airports and reduce reliance on aeronautical revenue, the income from airline and flight-related charges. Ms Afriyie Opare said the project will expand GACL’s commercial offering.

The Vice President also noted that GACL has announced its first dividend to government since it was established. “GACL, you are doing well,” she said.

She said efficient airports matter most to businesses that move people and high-value or time-sensitive goods, and that for every job created at the airport there are opportunities for businesses beyond it. She linked this to the African Continental Free Trade Area, whose secretariat is in Ghana, saying the movement of people and goods needs efficient operations and dependable connections.

Many visitors meet Ghanaian hospitality at the airport first, she said, so it must be “welcoming, safe, innovative, and globally competitive” as it faces competition from other aviation hubs. She said sustainability deserves more attention, with energy efficiency and renewable energy built into future airports. She also called for developing Ghanaian expertise, with a place for young people and women.

The Vice President said work continues on a runway extension at the Kumasi airport and on plans for a new regional airport in Bolgatanga.

Ms Afriyie Opare said GACL manages six airports: Accra, Kumasi, Tamale, Ho, Sunyani and Wa, as well as several public airstrips. She said the 20 years reflect resilience through industry shocks and economic uncertainty, and growth in passenger numbers, infrastructure and airport business.