Gov’t to pull down GBC, Telcos masts at Wa Airport

The government says it will pull down communication masts belonging to the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) and some telecommunications networks mounted around the Wa Airport.

The Aviation Minister, Joseph Kofi Adda, told Parliament that the existence of the masts was hampering the full operationalisation of the airport.

“The main obstacles faced at the Wa Airport are the siting of communication masts in the airspace around the airport. The masts are owned by the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Radio Upper West, Vodafone, and AirtelTigo.”

According to him, all efforts to get the owners of the masts to remove them have not yielded favourable results.

Answering questions on the floor of Parliament, Mr. Adda disclosed that but for the outbreak of COVID-19, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority through the national security had intended to pull down the masts and surcharge its owners.

“The authority was collaborating with the appropriate authorities to move the masts and surcharge the owners when the COVID-19 pandemic came up and stalled the process. In this regard, the GCAA has since resumed its collaboration with the appropriate agencies to get the masts removed,” the Navrongo MP told Parliament.

He said the masts if allowed to sit around the airport will continue to pose threats to aircraft.

The Wa Regional Airport opened for commercial flights on October 15, 2019.

It is one of the airports opened to further promote economic and commercial activities between the Upper West Region and the various regional capitals in the country.

According to the Aviation Ministry, it forms  part of the government’s pledge to encourage and support local airlines and entrepreneurs to set up strong private airlines that can fully utilise all the nations route rights in line with Government’s vision to make Ghana an Aviation Hub within the Sub-Region