The Vice President, appears to have relocated up north, where he is spending time with his kith and kins, cutting sods, planting trees and inspecting ongoing works, including the new Tamale International Airport.
On Monday, June 13, 2022, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia cut sod for the construction of a 167-kilometre Tamale-Yendi Tatale highway in the Northern Region.
The massive highway, which has had a significant portion of it untarred for decades, forms part of the Eastern Corridor road, linking major towns in the Northern, North East, Upper East, Oti, Volta and Greater Accra Regions.
He described the ceremeny as being of “a great significance since it promotes the government’s drive ensure inclusive and balanced development in Northen Ghana; an area that has long been identified as one of the poorest regions in the country”.
After cutting sod for the construction of the road project, Dr Bawumia, also inspected ongoing works at the newly constructed Tamale International Airport.
Accompanying the Vice-President were, the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, Roads and Highways Minister, Amoako Atta and Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defense.
His presence in the region began last week Friday, Dr. Bawumia planted seedlings at the Tamale Airport to observe the Green Ghana Day.
Dr Bawumia, has been in the northern part of the country for a five-day working visit.
Green Ghana Day, an initiative of the government which started last year, is a day set aside to create national awareness on the necessity for collective action towards restoration of degraded landscape in the country.
The initiative seeks to plant at least 20 million trees on the Green Ghana Day.
Dr Bawumia, had joined millions of Ghanaians who planted trees today, including President Akufo-Addo, former President Kufuor and the National Chief Imam Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu by planting his seedlings at the Tamale Airport last Friday afternoon.
Work at the Tamale Airport, which according to media reports has seen significant work done so far, with two international standard terminals, a 5km road, and other facilities being built.
The Akufo-Addo government is said to have secured funding from the UK Export Finance (UKEF) in 2018 to build an ultramodern edifice in Tamale, to serve the growing local and international demands of northern Ghana.
The two terminals are; a special multi-purpose terminal, also known as the Hajj Terminal, and the main terminal for domestic and international flights.
The Hajj terminal has its own waiting lounge, check-in and arrival desks, luggage control area, ablution and prayer area, as well as a parking space for 200 cars.
The main terminal for local and international operations, is a much bigger facility on a 5,000 metre square space with modern airport facilities. Work on the Tamale International airport is 95% complete and the airport is expected to be formally commissioned for use in August this year.
With the first batch of Hajj Pilgrims expected to depart Ghana from Tamale in the coming days, Dr. Bawumia was optimistic Pilgrims from the northern part of the country would be able to use the facility.
The Vice President noted that major works on other airports such as the Kumasi International Airport and the Sunyani Airport (which has been completed) are also well on course for commissioning this year, adding that the Akufo-Addo government has demonstrated a strong commitment to improving airports in the country.
Works are 95percent complete.
In the case of the 167-kilometre highway, the US$150 million project will include the provision of socio-economic complementary interventions in the form of schools, boreholes, and clinics within the project communities (Tamale, Mion, Yendi, Zabzugu & Tatale), and has been broken into two lots.
Lot one is the 61.98km Tatale-Yendi road -61.98km and lot 2 the 106km Yendi-Tamale road.
The project is scheduled to be completed in two years.
