2026 Budget: GACL To Charge New Airport Devt. Fee To Fund Major Terminal Link Upgrade | Accra, Nov 14, 2025 | By Dominick Andoh
Ghana’s Finance Minister, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, has announced a new Airport Development Fee that will fund major upgrades across the country’s aviation infrastructure, including a long-awaited project to build a connecting concourse between Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
Presenting the 2026 Budget to Parliament on Thursday, Dr. Forson stated: “Mr. Speaker, Ghana Airport Company Limited will introduce an airport development fee to rehabilitate Sunyani Airport, construct a new airport at Bolgatanga, build a multi-purpose car park and a connecting concourse between Terminals 2 and 3 at the Kotoka International Airport.”
The announcement provides clarity on a project that aviation operators and industry observers have long pushed for, especially following the recent remodelling and reopening of Terminal 2.
Terminal 2 of the Kotoka International Airport has been redesigned to host key regional airlines as part of GACL’s restructuring strategy to ease congestion at Terminal 3 and optimize airport operations.
However, the current detached layout of the two terminals will create operational challenges, particularly for passengers connecting from regional flights arriving at Terminal 2 to long-haul intercontinental flights departing from Terminal 3.
Without a direct link, travellers must exit one terminal, walk across, and re-enter the next, which would result in delays, missed flights, and frustration.
Airlines have raised concerns about this vulnerability, noting that regional services often operate tight schedules, making efficient transfers essential.
The proposed connecting concourse is expected to resolve this critical bottleneck by enabling secure, airside movement between the two terminals, bringing KIA in line with global airport standards.
The link will significantly enhance Accra’s competitiveness as a regional hub, ensuring smoother connections and improving Ghana’s attractiveness to airlines looking to develop multi-city networks within West Africa.
The Airport Development Fee, which is yet to be made known, will also support rehabilitation works at Sunyani Airport and fund the planned Bolgatanga Airport, part of government’s broader agenda to expand aviation infrastructure nationwide.
