President John Dramani Mahama has said ongoing infrastructure projects at Accra International Airport (AIA), including a new air traffic control tower, Terminal 2 refurbishment and a transfer concourse between Terminals 2 and 3, are being financed by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) without direct government funding.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for a multi-purpose, multi-tiered car park and two hotels at AIA on 27 August 2026, Mahama said the financing arrangements allowed the projects to proceed without placing additional demands on Ghana’s fiscal resources.
“Now let me state for the record that all these airport projects, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority’s new control tower, the refurbishment of Terminal 2, the construction of the transfer concourse between Terminals 2 and 3 and currently this airport parking lot, entertainment and hotel space, are being funded entirely on the balance sheets of the GCAA – that’s for the control tower, and for all the other projects, on the balance sheet of the GACL,” he said.
“The Government of Ghana has not given any of the two institutions one single cedi for these projects,” he added.
The seven-storey multi-purpose car park will provide 2,030 parking bays and 4,000 square metres of retail, commercial and dining facilities. The development will include a shopping mall, restaurants, food courts, banking facilities, a sky-view lounge and a sky observatory where visitors will be able to watch aircraft movements.
Two hotels are also planned as part of the development, comprising a 250-room three-star hotel and a 120-room five-star hotel. The facilities are intended to serve travellers, including passengers affected by delayed or rescheduled flights.
A conference facility and fully equipped business centre will provide additional space for business and corporate use.
Mahama said the investment programme was intended to keep Ghana’s airport infrastructure aligned with rising passenger traffic and anticipated demand. Passenger numbers at AIA increased from 1.8 million in 2022 to 2.5 million in 2025, which he attributed to increased air connectivity and Ghana’s attractiveness for business, tourism, investment and family travel.
The growth has placed additional pressure on airport roads, parking facilities, passenger pick-up and drop-off areas, security operations and the wider airport precinct.
According to Mahama, the new car park will increase parking capacity, improve traffic circulation and reduce congestion while making more efficient use of the limited land available at the airport. Building vertically will also release land for other airport services.
Beyond Accra, preparations are well advanced for work to begin on the new Bolgatanga Airport, while procurement processes are under way for new airports at Wa and Nsoatre near Sunyani.
Work is also progressing on the runway extension at Prempeh I International Airport in the Ashanti Region. Mahama said the extension would allow the airport to accommodate heavier long-haul passenger aircraft capable of international travel.
He said the development of regional aviation infrastructure could reduce travel times, improve access to markets, support emergency services and open additional tourism and investment corridors. He cautioned that the facilities would need to be carefully planned, commercially responsible and integrated with national road transport systems, local economic strategies and the productive strengths of their respective regions.
The wider airport infrastructure programme is intended to prepare Ghana’s principal international gateway for future demand while supporting the country’s ambition to strengthen its position as a destination, transit point and aviation hub in Africa.
Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe said investments were being made to modernise AIA and improve the competitiveness of regional airports, with a focus on connectivity, safety, convenience and accessibility.
He said the car park development would increase operational capacity and support anticipated growth in air traffic, while also creating employment and generating non-aeronautical revenue from airport property.
The two hotels would form part of the airport ecosystem and serve transit passengers, airline crew, business travellers, tourists and other airport users.
Nikpe said the Ministry of Transport was also monitoring the new air traffic control tower, Terminal 2 repurposing, runway expansion works and the Advanced Air Navigation and Surveillance Service.
GACL Managing Director Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare said the multi-purpose car park was intended to become an important source of non-aeronautical revenue and contribute to the company’s longer-term financial sustainability.
“It is therefore more than a car park. It is a strategic commercial development that will contribute to the financial sustainability and growth of AIA,” she said.
Unlike the airside connecting concourse, which is accessible only to passengers, the car park development will be located landside and open to the general public.
The facility will incorporate smart parking management systems, automatic number-plate recognition, cashless and ticketless operations, parking guidance systems, electric vehicle charging points and centralised CCTV surveillance. GACL expects the systems to improve traffic management, security and passenger access to the terminal.
AIA currently serves 28 scheduled international airlines, two domestic airlines and five cargo airlines, as well as several charter and non-scheduled operators.
Afriyie Opare said Air Uganda would begin operating to Accra in October 2026, followed by Etihad Airways in March 2027. She said the expected addition of new airlines, together with rising passenger numbers, supported continued investment in airport infrastructure, operational capacity and commercial facilities.
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