Mahama Rushes New Concourse as Passenger Surge Bites
By Phillip Antoh
President John Dramani Mahama broke ground on Monday for a new concourse linking Terminals 2 and 3 at Kotoka International Airport – a project that admits what officials have long downplayed: the flagship Terminal 3, built during his first term, is already struggling to cope.
Passenger numbers have climbed from 1.8 million in 2022 to 2.5 million last year – a 39 percent jump in three years. The result, Mahama acknowledged at the sod-cutting ceremony, is peak-hour chaos between 6pm and 10pm, affecting check-in, immigration, security screening, boarding and baggage handling.
“If these issues are not resolved, they will compromise efficiency and diminish the passenger experience,” the President said.
The new concourse will add five boarding bridges, larger waiting areas, VIP lounges and retail space. It is designed to connect the older Terminal 2 currently being upgraded for both domestic and international flights with the more modern Terminal 3.
But the politics beneath the tarmac are as important as the concrete. Mahama conceded that some airlines are “hesitant” to move from Terminal 3 to the refurbished Terminal 2, a reluctance that speaks to the perceived hierarchy of facilities. His response: “Once we complete the upgrades, they will be ready to relocate.” That is a bet on execution – not always a safe one in Ghana’s infrastructure story.
The broader modernisation drive includes a seven-storey car park at Terminal 3 (2,000 vehicles, plus retail, restaurants, conference rooms and an airport hotel), advanced 3D scanners to end the laptop-removal ritual, and a new 54-metre air traffic control tower nearing completion.
Outside Accra, the government is pushing ahead with regional airports in Bolgatanga, Wa and Nsuatre, while Kumasi’s runway extension to handle larger aircraft continues.
On the perennial issue of a flag carrier, Mahama said a task force would present its plan within the week. “A new national airline will create jobs for pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and other staff, and help position Ghana as a leading aviation hub in West Africa,” he said – a promise that has been made and broken by previous administrations. The detail, as always, will be in the fine print of who pays and who profits.
In a revealing aside, Mahama disclosed that a private individual is funding a nearly $2 million renovation of the VVIP lounge at no cost to the state. The benefactor’s reward: lifetime access to the lounge. No name was provided. No tender was mentioned. In the quiet world of airport patronage, that is not a bug but a feature.
An electronic visa system allowing online applications is also promised, aiming to ease embassy queues.
The concourse project is a necessary response to real pressure. But it also serves a political purpose: reminding travellers and voters alike that Mahama, who built Terminal 3, is again the man to beat airport congestion. Whether the new link opens before the next election – and whether the airlines follow will be the true test.