Ndan Yaa Naa Abukari II has appealed to government to consider the development and upgrading of the Yendi airstrip to the status of an airport. This, he said, would help accelerate business growth and promote tourism in the Dagbon area.
“Yendi has little or no opportunity for water transport but there is a huge potential for air transport,” he said, when the transport minister Kweku Ofori Asiamah paid a courtesy call on him at the Gbewa place in Yendi as part of his working visit to the North.
The visit forms part of the itineraries geared towards assessing the state and impact of the ongoing Tamale Phase two airport project. The sector minister was accompanied by the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Shaibu; Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Charles Krakue; and other executives from the authority and ministry.
Peace and tourism
The Yaa Naa noted that Yendi, and for that matter Dagbon, has become peaceful and attractive to business and tourism, adding that the people of Yendi are ready to work with government to accelerate the development of the area since it has been deprived for years.
Phase 3 of the Tamale Airport
According to Yaa Naa, there is the need for government to quickly roll out the phase three of the Tamale airport project which will surely see the expansion of the terminal to be able to accommodate the large number of passengers that would disembark from large-bodied aircraft that can land at the airport.
Congratulations message
He congratulated the minister for his appointment to the position as the substantive minister for Transport and prayed that the minister could be able to execute all the good plans during his tenure of office. He also commended government for the attention the Tamale Airport is receiving since the government first assume office in 2017 and that the phase two of the project is progressing smoothly.
Road safety
“I am worried about the increasing indiscipline on our roads by drivers and motorists leading to hikes in the spate of motor accidents,” he said, therefore appealing to the minister to facilitate the establishment of the Driver and Vehicle License Authority (DVLA) office in Yendi for easy access of the services in the Eastern Corridor stretch.
He also expressed worry about the poor state of the roads within the kingdom and therefore appealed for the construction of the road network.
The Minister assured the Overlord of government’s commitment to work on the Yendi airstrip to facilitate development in Dagbon. “As the President has promised, it would be executed to enhance economic activities in the area.,” he said, adding that government has the intention to commence with the third phase of the Tamale Airport project to expand the facility since it will bring development to the region.
