The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) is preparing to pay GH¢30 million to the Government of Ghana as its first dividend since the company was established in 2007.

The proposed payment marks a historic development for the state-owned company, which has spent years investing in airport infrastructure while managing the financial demands of operating regional airports that are yet to become profitable.

Managing Director of GACL, Yvonne Afriyie Opare, announced the planned payment at the company’s 11th Annual General Meeting, where she presented its operational and financial performance for the year ended December 31, 2025.

She said the company had earmarked GH¢30 million for the government, its 100 per cent shareholder.

“GACL has earmarked an amount of 30 million Ghana cedis to pay to a hundred percent shareholder, the Government of Ghana, for the first time since the establishment of the company in 2007,” she said.

The announcement comes at a time when GACL is navigating competing financial demands, including infrastructure expansion, airport maintenance and the operational costs of regional aviation facilities.

Beyond Kotoka International Airport, the company is responsible for developing and managing regional airports in Kumasi, Tamale, Sunyani and Ho.

However, the facilities are yet to generate sufficient revenue to cover their operating expenses, leaving GACL to finance much of their development and related services from its own resources.

Mrs Opare acknowledged the financial difficulties, noting that the situation continues to affect the company’s liquidity.

“Domestic business operations and all other regional airports are not yet profitable,” she said.

The challenge highlights the pressure on GACL to maintain its commercial sustainability while fulfilling its broader responsibility of supporting aviation infrastructure development across Ghana.

Passenger traffic rises to 3.6 million

Despite the financial constraints, the company recorded improvements in key operational indicators during the 2025 financial year.

Passenger traffic rose by six per cent to 3.6 million, compared with 3.4 million recorded in 2024.

Aircraft movements increased by 2.2 per cent to 47,270, while cargo volumes grew by 4.8 per cent to 44,826 tonnes.

The improved operational performance also translated into higher profits, with GACL recording GH¢354.6 million in 2025, compared with approximately GH¢336 million in the preceding year.

However, the company’s financial position remains under pressure from infrastructure-related financing costs, particularly repayments on the loan facility used to develop Terminal 3 at Kotoka International Airport.

Eight-year loan repayment extension

As part of efforts to manage its debt obligations, GACL secured approval to restructure and refinance its syndicated loan.

The revised terms provide for an eight-year extension of the repayment period, together with a one-year moratorium on principal repayments.

The arrangement is expected to ease repayment pressures and provide management with greater flexibility in managing the company’s cash flows and financing ongoing infrastructure projects.

The planned GH¢30 million dividend therefore comes at a significant point in GACL’s operations, as the company seeks to reward its sole shareholder while sustaining investments needed to expand and maintain Ghana’s airport infrastructure.