► GHANA: (Pics) Eagle Atlantic Airlines' first MD82 arrives in Accra.

Ghana's latest start up, Eagle Atlantic Airlines (EAB), has taken delivery of its first McDonnell Douglas MD82 (MSN 49119 | YR-OTN) which is on lease from Romanian leasers, Ten Airways (OTJ). As previously reported, following the reception of its AOC from the Ghanaian Civil Aviation Authority last week, Eagle Atlantic intends to serve Abidjan, Monrovia and Freetown before expanded further into the region.

► GHANA: Report claims pilot error partly to blame for the 2012 Allied Air Cargo 727F crash in Accra.

The chairman of the investigative committee for the June 2, 2012 crash of a Nigerian Allied Air (4W) cargo B727-200F (MSN  22540 | 5N-BJN) at Accra Kotoka International Airport which killed 10 people on the ground, has presented the final report to the Ghanaian Ministry of Transport for consideration. Among the findings by Captain Alec Grant Sam and his committee are that the pilots of the 727 "were partly to blame" for the accident, having touched down too far along runway 21 to allow them to stop safely.

■ GHANA: China Airports Construction Corporation set to begin work on Accra's new international airport.

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ghanaian government last year, China Airports Construction Corporation (CACC) is set to begin construction of Accra's new International Airport, to be situated near Prampram in Dangbe-East District, near Accra. The move comes after CACC successfully concluded a feasibility study for the conceptual design for the new airport.

■ GHANA: Government signs MoU with Chinese firm for feasibility study on new Accra airport near Prampram.

Ghana's Minister of Transport, Alhaji Collins Dauda, yesterday announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the China Airports Construction Corporation (CACC) to undertake a feasibility study for a conceptual design for a new international airport to be situated near Prampram in Dangbe-East District, near Accra.

● GHANA: Government considers selling off 4 major airports.

Press reports out of Ghana claim that the Ghanaian Ministry of Transport is considering selling off four major airports around the country in a bid to privatize the country's infrastructure though whether it is seeking to completely offload the assets to the private sector or looking for a public/private partnership is yet to be confirmed.

Newspaper reports in Ghana quote a leaked government document whose contents were initially rubbished and denied by the Ghanaian Transport Minister Mr. Collins Dauda, only to be acknowledged upon publication.

"One of such documents dated May 16, 2012 and signed by the Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Enoch Cobbinah stated that `the Transport Ministry has endorsed and confirmed to the Finance Ministry the plan to undertake through Public Private Partnership procurement and rehabilitation, expansion and upgrade of the airports.'

The document clearly indicates that at least there has been a move by government to get assistance from private partners for the airports."

Read More Here [happyGhana]

The airports in question are: Accra's Kotoka International Airport, Tamale, Kumasi and Takoradi Airports all of which fall under the the authority of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), a government run parastatal.

Accra Kotoka International Airport (g2g)

Part of the necessity for privatization has come from Ghana's strong economic growth in recent years which has seen a significant increase in air transport usage with airlines such as Starbow Airlines,  CTK – CiTylinK, Fly540 and soon-to-be African super LCC FastJet fuelling the boom. Obviously, this has led and will lead to the urgent need to improve and expand existing aviation facilities in the country if it is to remain an attractive destination for start up airlines. In recent years, Ghana's principle gateway, Accra's Kotoka International Airport has seen some improvements and upgrades done to its infrastructure, though there is doubt that these have been enough to sustain the airport, whose transit figures have lept 400% since 2010.

Of course, it will all come with a hefty price tag hence the Ghanaians mulling privatization, but whether or not they want to leave their critical infrastructure entirely in the hands of foreigners has proven to be a very contentious topic. Since 1986, Ghana has moved to privatize many underperforming parastatals only to see the move socially and politically backfire when mass lay-offs were effected or in worst case scenarios (the now defunct Ghana Airways being a prime example) the entities went bust.