The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has pushed back against a formal petition calling for the suspension of works at Terminal 2 of Accra International Airport, rejecting claims that the facility is obsolete and defending its approach as legally sound and strategically justified.
The response addresses a petition filed by lawyer Charles Akoto Lamptey Jnr to President John Dramani Mahama, which argued that past technical assessments had already deemed Terminal 2 inadequate, leading to the construction of Terminal 3, and questioned whether the current scope of work amounted to refurbishment rather than genuine repurposing, warning that mislabelling could distort procurement processes and undermine public accountability.
GACL rejected that framing outright, stating that the decision in 2013 to build Terminal 3 as a standalone facility was driven not by any judgment that Terminal 2 was obsolete, but by the need to avoid disrupting live international operations during major reconstruction. The company said undertaking extensive works on Terminal 2 at that time would have caused severe operational disruption, a decline in passenger experience, and significant revenue losses while existing loan obligations were being serviced.
The airports company pointed to a 2013 terminal planning study and the Dorsch report, a National Airport Systems Plan commissioned by the Ministry of Transport and sponsored by the World Bank in 2014, both of which anticipated that Terminal 2 would eventually be refurbished and integrated with Terminal 3 via a connecting concourse. GACL argued it would be contradictory for a World Bank-backed plan to recommend connectivity with a terminal earmarked for demolition.
On the distinction between repurposing and refurbishment, GACL said repurposing accurately describes the transformation of Terminal 2 from a domestic-only facility into a dual-use terminal handling both domestic and international passengers, a change in operational function, not merely cosmetic repairs. The company maintained that all contracting and execution since 2013 has complied with the Public Financial Management Act (2016) and the Public Procurement Act (2003).
GACL also disputed claims that Terminal 2 lacks modern aviation systems, stating that the facility already carries closed-circuit television surveillance, baggage handling infrastructure, and biometric processing capabilities. Under the current works, these are being upgraded to include three-dimensional advanced screening scanners, which the company said would reduce the need for passengers to remove shoes and allow laptops and liquids to remain in bags, bringing the terminal in line with standards already in use across parts of the United States, Europe, and Asia.
The US$15 million remodelling project is targeted for completion by July 2026 and will position Terminal 2 to handle both domestic and international traffic, easing congestion at Terminal 3 during peak hours.
