Bawumia makes strong case for a Cape Coast Airport against Ho Airport

The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has argued the governing NPP's stance to construct an airport in Central Regional Capital, as promised in the party's manifesto launch.

According to the vice president, it makes more economic sense to put an airport in Cape Coast just like the one in the Volta Regional capital of Ho.

Dr Bawumia said this in a radio interview on Accra based Peace FM Tuesday morning.

Following the NPP's promise to build an airport at Cape Coast, some critics have said the government should rather concentrate on building a dual carriageway from Accra to Cape Coast or concentrate on building a rail network.

Others have described the 'Cape Coast airport promise' as a mere political gimmick to win votes in the Central Region.

But Bawumia says it's mind-bugling that a move to build an airport in Cape Coast will attract more criticism and generate more debate than when the issue of Ho's airport came up.

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In Bawumia's view,  the tourism potential in Cape Coast makes it more economical to build an airport there and the government was going to try to get it done on a Build Operate Transfer (BOT) basis if possible so that government does not really spend a lot of money in that direction and "so it is an idea whose time has come and I believe that the people of the Central Region deserve an airport.

He added, the decision to build an airport does not mean that the government will also not consider a dual carriageway or a rail network from Accra to Cape Coast. 

"In fact there is more of a case for an airport in Cape Coast than there was for an airport in Ho... but I didn't see a lot of a resistance to the airport in Ho as I am seeing to the airport in Cape Coast but in terms of the tourism potential, Cape Coast is bigger, fine, it is good that we have an airport in Ho, that is fine, but I'm just saying that the case, the economic case is stronger in Cape Coast, much, much stronger," Dr Bawumia said. 

Meanwhile, Deputy General Secretary of  the NPP said the promise to construct an airport in Cape Coast, was taken on-the-spot, amid the Manifesto launch.

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Obiri Boahen saidpromise to construct an airport in Cape Coast, was taken on-the-spot, amid the Manifesto launch, the Deputy General Secretary of the party has disclosed

“President Akufo-Addo spoke in the spur of the moment. It was on the spur of the moment. President Akufo-Addo spoke around 5:30 PM. Then in the evening, we had a meeting with Dr. Bawumia over the manifesto on Friday night. When we were having the meeting, on the spur of the moment, he said Cape Coast deserves an airport,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Starr FM.

According to him, the NPP will fulfil the promise to the people of Cape Coast. He said his party would construct airports in every regional capital in future.