Ghana set to launch national carrier

Ghana has appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) to advise the country on starting a national airline which it hopes to begin operating early next year, said Transport Minister Dzifa Attivor. Speaking at a press conference during the International Air Transport Association’s Africa Aviation Day conference held last month, Attivor said the consultancy would “guide in setting up a new airline and choose a private sector partner”. She noted that the government wanted the carrier to be up and running by March next year, when Ghana celebrates its independence day. “We hope PwC can guide us on best practice for public private partnerships as we hope to obtain private funding partners,” Attivor said. “Ghana, as the world’s second-largest producer of cocoa and an exporter of oil, has seen steady growth of around 10% per annum over the past two years, with that growth set to continue,” she said. New transport infrastructure and improved air access is critical to the West African country’s continued growth, she added. “Currently we do not have a state-owned carrier and domestic f lights are operated by privately owned airlines, including Antrak Air and Starbow,” she said. INSERT & CAPTION Ghana has seen steady growth of around 10% per annum over the last two years. – Dzifa Attivor