UK Govt to fund three infrastructural projects
The government of the United Kingdom (UK) has pledged financial support to Ghana to undertake three major infrastructural projects this year.
The projects, which are the Tamale Airport, the Bekwai Hospital and the Kumasi Central Market Phase 2, form part of the UK government’s partnership agreements with the government of Ghana.
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Areas to be covered under the projects are major expansion, construction and installation of essential equipment.
Ceremony
A statement released from the Jubilee House, said the UK Minister for Africa, Mrs Harriet Baldwin, announced the funding support at the end of the second UK-Ghana Business Council (UKGBC) meetings held in London, UK, last Tuesday.
The London meetings explored new strategies and opportunities to enhance trade and investment between the two countries.
The meetings, co-chaired by Mrs Baldwin and Ghana’s Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, were attended by ministers and other government officials from both countries, as well as captains of industry, to deliberate on ways to deepen business and other ties between the two countries.
“We will be backing the modernisation of the Kumasi Central Market with a total of 80 million Euros in support of this major trading centre.
It's visited by over 800,000 people every day and it will see upgrades of its electrical networks, water supplies, generators, fire detection systems and public transport,” Mrs Baldwin announced.
Tamale Airport
On the Tamale Airport, she said: “We will be backing the expansion of the Tamale Airport, which will include the construction of a modern, new international terminal building.
It's a $56-million US loan which will enable the airport’s expansion to improve tourist access and promote economic growth, as well as benefiting Hajj pilgrims with a new multi-purpose facility.”
For the Bekwai Hospital, Mrs Baldwin said it would be backed “by the Eurofinsa Group and the insurance firm, Ellipse UK, and the UK Export Finance (UKEF) with a guarantee of a 20-million euro loan which will support every aspect of the hospital’s construction, which will include 120 new beds, an Emergency Department, a maternity ward and an operating theatre”.
Sign of good relations
Support for the projects, Ms Baldwin said, was “just a flavour of some of the amazing announcements that had come through as a result of this UK-Ghana Business Council meeting”.
“It's something we're committed to doing with a six-month frequency in terms of taking this agenda forward,” she added.
The overarching goal of the UKGBC, she stated, was to match, as closely as possible, Ghana’s needs with UK expertise, financing and private sector support.
