Ghana’s quest to become the aviation hub of the West Africa Sub-region received a major boost on Wednesday, June 30, 2021 with the signing of a US$1.2milllion grant funding for the conduct of a feasibility study to support the development of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the Kotoka International Airport.
The grant was provided by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) to Ghana’s Aerojet Aviation Limited. U.S-based aviation experts, Alton Aviation Consultancy, will undertake the feasibility study on behalf of the grantee.
US Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan, at the grant signing event held at her residence in Accra, said: “In his June 16 address to the US Chamber of Commerce, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, made the case for US investment in Ghana and noted that making Ghana a regional hub is a top economic priority. Having an MRO at KIA would also be an incredibly important step towards making that dream a reality.”
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West Africa does not have a certified MRO despite being one of the regions where air traffic growth, prior to the pandemic in 2020, was on the ascendancy. There are about 32 West-Africa based airlines servicing the region and tens of international flights servicing various airports in the sub-region daily.
Airline operators in the sub-region have to either fly to Ethiopia, Egypt or South Africa to have faults and regular maintenance carried out. For Ghana to become an aviation hub, the establishment of an MRO is imperative.
When the feasibility is successfully completed, Aerojet Aviation Limited is expected to use that to secure funding for the eventual construction of the MRO at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport.
The feasibility study is expected to be completed by December 2021. Construction and full operationalization of the MRO, all things being equal, is expected to be completed by 2024.
