Togo president inaugurates Niamtougou airport extension work

Togolese president Faure Gnassingbe on Saturday inaugurated extension and reinforcement works of Niamtougou international airport to be carried out by Chinese company in the north of the country.

The project will cost 68 million U.S. dollars and will last for 12 months.

It involves extending the airport runway from 2,500 meters to 3,000 meters so as to give Niamtougou airport the capacity to receive larger aircrafts.

"The runway, taxiways and aircraft parking zone will be reinforced and the aerodrome lights will be modified, allowing thus considerable extension of the life time and security reinforcement of the airport", the ambassador of China to Togo Liu Yuxi explained.

The extension and reinforcement works, he said, testify the enhancement of the economy of Togo and the vitality of the over 40 year traditional friendship between China and Togo.

"As we all know, infrastructure facility is the base for a country's socio-economic development", Chinese ambassador said.

He added that in this regard, infrastructures development is for Togo one of the main priorities of the cooperation with China.

The Togolese Minister of Transport Ninsao Gnofam said, the international airport of Niamtougou completed in the north and Gnassingbe Eyadema International Airport in the south will push Togo to create a three-dimensional transportation network of water, land, air.

Niamtougou international airport modernization follows a similar project for the international airport in Lome which was just carried out by the Chinese companies WIETEC and CACC with financing from Exim Bank of China.

Source: XINHUA