By Iddi Yire
Accra, Sept 15, GNA – President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday cut the sod for construction works to begin on the $1.3 billion Sentuo Airport Garden City Project.
The project, which is being executed by the Sentuo Group, comprises 582 premium apartments, a 600-room hotel, a conference facility with a capacity of 2,500 people, healthcare facilities, a modern shopping mall, landscape gardens, 503 parking bays for cars within a four-story apartment building and other supporting commercial and leisure amenities.
President Mahama in his remarks said these were substantial facilities.
However, the true value of the project would not be measured solely by the number of scale of the buildings that were constructed but its contribution to the economy would also be measured by the quality of the urban environment that it creates and above all by the opportunities that it delivers to the Ghanaian people.
He said during construction, Ghanaian engineers, architects, artisans, technicians, supplies and other local businesses must have meaningful opportunities to participate in this development.
He noted that young people should benefit from apprenticeships, practical training and deliberate skills transfer.
He said the economic benefits of this development must endure long after construction is complete.
He said the hotel conference enters residential apartments, retail outlets, healthcare facilities and leisure amenities will require a wide range of goods and services; stating that this should create sustained opportunities for Ghanaian entrepreneurs, support decent jobs and stimulate economic activity well beyond the project site.
He therefore encouraged the developers to treat local content not merely as a regulatory obligation but as a central measure of the project’s success.
President Mahama said where Ghanaian firms and workers had the required competence they must be given a fair opportunity to contribute and to grow alongside this investment.
He said the tourism and hospitality components of the development were equally important.
He said Accra was increasingly attracting a lot of business travellers, tourists and participants in major international conferences.
The President said they must continue to improve the range and quality of accommodation, conferencing and related services in their capital city.
“I know of two occasions on which Accra was bypassed because we did not have enough conference rooms to host major international conferences,” he stated.
“At least one of them we were bypassed for Dakar, Senegal and I felt very ashamed that Accra would be bypassed for Dakar in terms of a major international conference. This development would end that; we would have enough hotel rooms,” the President said.
“We’ll have enough conference facilities to be able to host even a UN conference here in Accra. And so our ambitions must extend beyond Accra. We want visitors to stay longer, travel further and experience more in Ghana.”
He explained that when they do the benefits of tourism, reach transfer to craters, hospitality businesses, artisans, farmers, workers and communities throughout the country.
President Mahama said the Sentuo Airport Garden City Project complements the investment government was making within and around the airport.
He said only a few weeks ago on 27 August, he broke ground at the Accra International Conference and Accra International Airport for a seven-story development comprising 2,030 parking base for cars, two hotels and commercial facilities.
The President said the nation’s aviation institutions were financing these developments with the car park and the hotel complex recorded on the balance sheets of the Ghana Airports Company Limited
He said the Sentuo Airport Garden City Project was therefore an important private sector addition to the transformation already underway in the general Airport area.
“This is the kind of partnership Ghana needs. The Government cannot and should not undertake every investment required for national development alone,” he said.
“Our responsibility is to provide a stable enabling environment in which businesses can invest, expand and succeed while ensuring that the resulting opportunities and benefits reach our people.”
The President said the range of activities envisaged under the project also aligns with their 24-Hour Economy and Accelerated Export Development Programme.
He said aviation, hospitality, conferencing, transport, retail, healthcare, food services and related activities could sustain productive activities during extended hours and create additional opportunities for employment and enterprise.
President Mahama commended the Executive Chairman of Sentuo Group Mr Xu Ningquan and the Group Management for their continued confidence in Ghana and for choosing to make the investment in the country.
On his part, Mr Ningquan said the investments they were making would go a long way to strengthen Ghana-China relations.
GNA
Edited by Benjamin Mensah