President John Dramani Mahama has announced that the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Urban Roads has started reviewing the road network within the Airport enclave and the central business district to address growing traffic congestion.
The President said the review had become necessary due to the surge in major developments around the Kotoka International Airport area.
President Mahama made the announcement on Tuesday, September 15, in Accra when he performed the ceremonial sod-cutting for the $1.3 billion Sentuo Airport Garden City project.
“And I want to announce that the Ministry of Roads and Highways and Urban Roads have started looking at the road network in the airport enclave and the central business district. Because as developments like this come up, definitely the traffic congestion will also grow. So, we need to widen the roads, create a system of one-ways, and improve the road network,” President Mahama said.
The Sentuo Airport Garden City, being developed by the Sentuo Group, is a mixed-use development comprising approximately 582 premium apartments, a 600-room hotel, a 2,500-capacity conference facility, health care facilities, a modern shopping mall, landscaped gardens, 503 parking bays within a four-storey building, and other commercial and leisure amenities.
President Mahama described the project as a significant private-sector addition to the transformation already underway in the airport area. He recalled that on August 27, he broke ground for a seven-storey development at the Accra International Conference Centre within the airport enclave, comprising 2,030 parking bays, two hotels and commercial facilities.
He said for many visitors, the airport enclave forms their first impression of Ghana, and government must therefore develop the gateway in a coordinated manner to improve experience for residents, travelers and investors while enhancing Accra’s standing as a modern, competitive African capital.
Local content and jobs
The President charged the developers to ensure meaningful participation of Ghanaian engineers, architects, artisans, technicians, suppliers and other local businesses, and to create apprenticeships and deliberate skills transfer for young people.
“I therefore encourage the developers to treat local content not merely as a regulatory obligation, but as a central measure of the project’s success,” he said. “Where Ghanaian firms and workers have the required competence, they must be given a fair opportunity to contribute and to grow alongside this investment.”
He said the hotel, conference, residential, retail, health and leisure components would create sustained opportunities for Ghanaian entrepreneurs and decent jobs beyond the project site.
Tourism boost
On tourism, President Mahama said Accra had on at least two occasions been bypassed for major international conferences due to inadequate conference facilities, with one event going to Dakar, Senegal.
“This development will end that. We’ll have enough hotel rooms. We’ll have enough conference facilities to be able to host even a UN conference here in Accra,” he said.
He said government wants visitors to stay longer, travel farther and experience more of Ghana, so that the benefits of tourism reach transport operators, hospitality businesses, artisans, farmers and communities across the country.
FDI surges to $2.5bn
President Mahama linked the investment to improved investor confidence, noting that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflows have risen sharply.
“From a low of $640 million in 2024, FDI inflows into Ghana have shot up to a significant amount of $2.5 billion in 2025. And this figure is less machinery, plants, and equipment. It would be much higher if machinery, plants, and equipment were factored in,” he stated.
He said the project aligns with government’s 24-hour economy and accelerated export development programme, as aviation, hospitality, conferencing, transport, retail, health care and food services can sustain productive activities during extended hours.
Praise for Sentuo Group
The President commended the Executive Chairman of Sentuo Group, Mr. Xu Ningquan, for his continued confidence in Ghana, describing him as an investor who has made Ghana his number one home.
“I had the opportunity of visiting his home province in China, Fujian, a beautiful place. But he’s made Ghana his number one home… He’s settling here permanently. I hope you’ve got your Ghanaian passport. If you haven’t come, I’ll sign it for you personally,” Mahama said in jest.
He disclosed that this is the second Sentuo project he has broken ground for this year, after Phase Two of the Sentuo Refinery which will add 100,000 barrels of refining capacity, and hinted at a planned fertilizer plant by the group.
“Mr. Xu, if you haven’t got a national honour yet, I’m considering you for one in the future for your investment in Ghana,” he added.
The Sentuo Airport Garden City project is expected to be completed in phases, with President Mahama saying he looks forward to returning when the apartments are occupied, the hotel is welcoming guests, and the conference facility is hosting major events.
