Vice President of policy think-tank, IMANI Ghana, Bright Simons, is wondering if the defiance with which McDan Aviation built and commissioned a private jet terminal at the Kotoka International Airport on 28th January 2022, is not stylistic of state capture.
In a post on Facebook, Mr. Simons who is also a technologist questioned if the move which was carried out despite protests by the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) managers of airports in Ghana can be called a bold business move.
The GACL which claimed it did not notice McDan constructing a sizeable private jet terminal on its premises had written to McDan asking it to call off its planned commissioning of the building because it breached safety and procedural rules. But had McDan’s snubbed the airport authorities and gone ahead to commission the terminal.
“This is a very interesting letter. All along, I thought McDan was a concessionaire leasing & operating a private jet terminal from GACL. Turns out they are actually a competitor to GACL, which had its own charter jet plans. I am of 2 minds: bold business or state capture?” Bright Simons wrote.
Daniel McKorley is known as a major financier of the Akufo Addo presidential campaign. Indeed, he had hinted at this publicly in the media. Hence it is believed that his hijacking of Ghana’s airport has the express backing of President Akufo Addo, whom Mr. McKorley glowingly praised for his support during the controversial commission.
Meanwhile, commenting on Bright Simons’ post, MP for South Dayi, Rockson Nelson Defeamekpor, listed several important rules that McDan’s snobbish defiance of the GACL vandalizes, wondering if things can get worst than this.
“Design remodeling not approved, permit not approved for actual construction works, no GACL supervision to ensure quality standards were met, no certification of actual work done. Can it get worse than this?” he wrote.
Source: whatsapnewsghana