$2bn Airport deal sealed in Awka as Obiano flags off construction today, Wednesday (12/04/17)

Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State, on Tuesday inked a $2bn Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), marking the effective takeoff of construction activities at Umuleri International Cargo Airport (UICA), the proposed site of the International Airport.

Business Hilight had last week reported that all is ready for the sealing of the International Airport deal in Awka on Tuesday at the Anambra State Government House, Awka by the Governor and consortium of investors including China Aviation, Orient Petroleum Resources Limited and Elite International Investment Holdings Limited.

Today, Governor Obiano will flag off construction work on the site designated for the airport today, Wednesday in Umueri.

Business Hilights South East Bureau Chief reports that delivery specification made available to Business Hilights showed that the project is coming as an Airport City Model which will be developed as an integrated city comprising of an Airport with two standard runways, a shopping Mall, Industrial and Business parks and an Airport Motel

UICA will seat on a 1500 hectares of land with enough headroom for expansion.

Besides, the Airport will be constructed under the Build-Operate-Manage-and-Transfer (BOMT) model, but efforts made by our correspondent in Awka to get the number of years before transfer to the State Government failed.

A very strategic part of the deal was the incorporation of the host community, Umuleri who will own for life, 4.3 per cent of the profit made from the Airport.

Indication also emerged that during construction over 2,000 jobs will be on ground as up to 1,200 will show up on delivery.