The establishment of a national airline in Ghana is poised to receive a substantial enhancement with the formation of a high-level task force tasked with overseeing and expediting the initiative.
This development reflects a renewed dedication from authorities to rejuvenate the nation’s aviation aspirations, following years of halted attempts to introduce a flagship carrier.
Ghana has been without a national airline for almost twenty years after operations were suspended due to a U.S. ban related to operational debts.
The original flag carrier, Ghana Airways, functioned from 1958 until its dissolution in 2004, followed by Ghana International Airlines, which operated from 2005 to 2010 before also ceasing operations.
The momentum to reinstate a national airline gained momentum in September 2022 when Ashanti Airlines was chosen as the government’s strategic partner.
This initiative has rekindled optimism for the re-launch of a rebranded ‘Ghana Airlines’ and has drawn interest from various stakeholders.
The new task force, to be inaugurated under the directive of President John Dramani Mahama and led by the Ministry of Transport, is anticipated to generate renewed investor interest and cultivate strategic partnerships within the aviation sector.
Earlier this year, Transport Minister Joseph Bukari Nikpe indicated that the government is actively pursuing collaborative partnerships to bring the national airline project to fruition, recognizing that the current economic challenges faced by the country hinder the ability to pursue the initiative independently.
