The drive to establish a Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO), facility in West Africa received a boost as the U.S. Trade and Development Agency announced grant funding for a feasibility study to support the development of facility at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) in Ghana.
According to gh.usembassy.gov, U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie S. Sullivan presided over the ceremony and was joined by members of the government of Ghana, grantee representatives from the Ghanaian company Aerojet Aviation Ltd and U.S. Company Alton Aviation Consultancy, as well as industry leaders.
The feasibility study is a critical foundation before implementation of the project, which would establish the first full-service MRO facility in West Africa. No matter how minor or complicated the repair, airlines must repair their aircraft at a certified MRO in order for the aircraft to return to service.
In addition, scheduled preventive maintenance must be completed by a certified MRO facility on every aircraft in active service.
MRO facilities on the African continent only represent approximately four percent of the global MRO market, with no MRO facility in West Africa. This study builds on previous USTDA feasibility study support in 2009, 2011, and 2012 to undertake enhancements at Kotoka International Airport.
“Having an MRO at KIA presents Ghana with the opportunity to propel itself into the position of an even stronger regional and global leader in the aviation sector and boost regional economic growth, safety, security, and mobility,” said Ambassador Sullivan.
The grant is provided to the Ghanaian company Aerojet Aviation Limited, and the U.S. aviation experts Alton Aviation Consultancy LLC will conduct the feasibility study.
This activity supports the Prosper Africa initiative, a U.S. government initiative to substantially increase two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa. It also supports President Biden’s Build Back Better World initiative to apply U.S. technologies and equipment to help with COVID-19 recovery.
