Ghana's government has established a 10-member task force to write the business plan and operational framework for a new national airline, according to local media reports.
In an April 29 letter posted online on May 7, Callistus Mahama, executive secretary to President John Mahama, instructed Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe to appoint the team in line with a presidential directive. It is to be led by Charles Asare, former managing director of Ghana Airports Company Limited, and includes the current managing director, Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare; Stephen Arthur, director-general of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA); various aviation industry experts; former transport and CAA officials; and a representative from the transport ministry.
Apart from drawing up the business model and operational framework, the team will coordinate engagements with potential strategic and technical partners, oversee regulatory compliance and the certification process, and facilitate the initial operational arrangements, including staffing, fleet acquisition, and route planning. The group will periodically report back to the president on progress made.
Inaugurating the task team on May 7, Nikpe said: "We are prepared to do things differently; we want to engage in this enterprise and engage in it very well with all the business sense that will guide us in establishing a functional national airline.”
Last month, the government met with representatives of the US-based World Aviation Group (WAG), who presented a detailed proposal for a new national carrier.
In his December state-of-the-nation address, President Mahama announced plans to relaunch efforts to establish a national airline with capable partners.
This followed multiple failed attempts, including a recent one involving Ashanti Airlines and earlier efforts with Ethiopian Airlines and EgyptAir. Ghana has lacked a national carrier since Ghana International Airlines (Accra) ceased operations in 2010, after Ghana Airways (Accra) collapsed in 2004.
