Former President John Mahama has for the first time used the Ho Airport after its full completion in 2018.
The Flag bearer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) who was in the company of his running mate for the 2020 elections, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman used a domestic commercial flight, Passion Air, which is suspected to have been a chartered flight.
The two who were on route to Kumasi, made a stopover in Ho at about 9:37am on Saturday, July 3 2021 to attend a communication retreat for NDC communicators at the Volta Serene Hotel.
They were met on arrival by regional party executives and some okada (commercial motor) riders who led the entourage through town to the venue.
This was Mr. Mahama’s first flight to the Ho Airport, since its full completion in 2018.
His government in 2015, began the construction of the 25 million dollar airport and commissioned it ahead of the 2016 elections when it was yet to be completed. At the time, the facility was not conducive for commercial air travel and so, he used a military helicopter and with the help of a makeshift control tower landed safely.
This second trip which is his first after it was fully completed saw the President fly in with PassionAir to a fully equipped and functional airport which has had test runs by Africa World Airlines in April this year.
A post from the official Facebook page of PassionAir also counted this flight with the former President as a test run to gather adequate data to inform their decision to fly the Accra-To-Kumasi route.
The Retreat
The President opened the three-day NDC communicators’ retreat which is scheduled to end on Monday July 5, 2021. The retreat which was organized by the party’s National Communications Bureau brought together communication officers and members of the communications team to review, revitalize and strategize for victory in 2024.
Mr. Mahama commended the party communicators for selling the party’s ‘People’s Manifesto’ to Ghanaians such that it became the most talked-about. He urged them to ignore personal attacks and intimidation from its main opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and focus on data and facts.
He condemned the recent clashes in Ejura and appealed to party members and other sympathizers to work hard to return the party to power to rescue Ghanaians from the many challenges they were suffering under the current Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.
From Fred Duodu, Ho (k.duodu@yahoo.com)