Togbe Afede’s dream of establishing Aviation Academy in Ho hangs in the balance after paying over $30k to GACL
The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State in Ho, Volta Region, Togbe Afede XIV, commenced efforts last year to establish a Pilot Training School in the regional capital, Ho.
The facility is intended to be located at the Ho Airport, to provide aviation services for aircraft as well as training pilots and other aviation personnel.
According to the Asogli State Council, Togbe Afede has already paid a total of $32,445 to the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) last year as part of the project’s development.
This sum represents 30% of the total amount that Togbe is expected to pay GACL for land allocation for the school.
Stephen Tetteh, the Secretary to Asogli State, alleged that despite the payment, no efforts have been made by the airport authority to assist the chief in starting the project.
“About one and a half years ago, specifically on June 26, 2023, Togbe, through his company, paid GACL USD32,445 as a 30% deposit they demanded for land allocation at the Ho Airport,” Stephen noted in a press release.
“GACL has yet to fulfil their promise,” he added.
The establishment of the school is aimed at creating jobs in the region, boosting the economy, and improving air travel in and out of the Volta Region.
The construction of the now-defunct Ho Airport began in September 2015 and was completed in September 2018.
The facility features a runway 1,900 metres long and 30 metres wide, an aircraft parking area, a terminal building with capacity for at least 150,000 passengers annually, VIP and VVIP facilities, staff parking, and a nine-kilometre network of roads around the airport.
It also includes an air traffic control tower, a water reservoir, a fire station, and a standby generator, among other facilities.
The construction of the facility cost the state $25 million, but six years after its completion, there has been no commitment to running it, making it a white elephant.
According to Asogli State, Togbe Afede’s proposed school would revitalise the defunct airport.
The traditional state further stated, “The state of the Ho Airport is not a result of the efforts of those who built it, but rather the negligence and lack of vision of those currently entrusted with decision-making.”
