Ya-Na Urges Akufo-Addo Not To Rename Tamale International Airport After Yakubu Tali

• The Overlord of the Dagbon Traditional Area urged President Akufo-Addo not to rename the Tamale International Airport
• The president earlier announced that Tamale International Airport will be renamed as the Yakubu Tali International Airport
• The Dagbon overlord said the renaming of Tamale International Airport after Tolon Naa Yakubu will be contentious

The Overlord of the Dagbon Traditional Area, Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II, has urged President Akufo-Addo not to rename the Tamale International Airport after Yakubu Tali.

Ya-Na Abukari said his people would prefer it be renamed after Na Gbewaa.

He disclosed his reservations about the move in a letter to the president.

“The renaming of Tamale International Airport after Tolon Naa Yakubu will be contentious and counterproductive.”

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Akufo-Addo announced his intent to rename the airport during the State of the Nation address in February.

Tolon Naa Alhaji Yakubu Alhassan Tali was a Ghanaian politician and founding member of the Northern People's Party, a political party in the New Patriotic Party tradition.

Tali was also the Paramount Chief of the Tolon Traditional Area.

Tamale Airport gets international status

The second phase of the Tamale International Airport was completed and commissioned on August 23, 2023.

The expansion project cost $70 million and was facilitated by the UK-Ghana Business Council.

Works undertaken at the Tamale airport included a 5,000-square-metre airport terminal building.

It is expected to have 400,000 passengers pass through annually.

It also has a technical hub to manage electricity, a multi-purpose terminal, a five-kilometre single-carriageway access road, a 330-capacity car park, wastewater treatment, and other facilities.

The new terminal building also includes two boarding gates, a VIP gate, two self-service check-in kiosks, airline offices, eight check-in desks and commercial retail areas.

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Vice President Bawumia said the development of the airport will boost Tamale as a business hub.

$20.9m tax waiver for the second phase of Tamale Airport

In October 2022, YEN.com.gh reported that Members of Parliament expressed their support for constructing the second phase of the Tamale Airport.

The lawmakers approved the Ghana cedi equivalent of $20,953,066.69 to purchase materials, equipment and vehicles for work to begin.

Source: YEN.com.gh