The Yirimambo Advocacy Group has issued a stark warning over the growing encroachment on the Wa Airport lands, describing the situation as a “national aviation safety crisis” that threatens the lives of passengers, air crews, and residents in the Upper West Region.

The group says the extent of illegal construction and unsafe human activity around the airport has reached an alarming level, posing an imminent risk of a tragic air accident if urgent action is not taken.

During a recent monitoring visit to the airport enclave, the advocacy group reported massive encroachment on critical portions of the airport’s designated safety zone.

Several unauthorised structures have sprung up dangerously close to aircraft landing pathways, including a multi-storey building that was being erected directly within the aviation landing corridor.

The western side of the airport, which originally served as the main landing direction, has already become unusable due to obstruction from private buildings, communication towers, tree plantations, and other developments.

The eastern corridor—which aircraft currently depend on—is now also threatened by illegal constructions.

Airport authorities recently demolished one such dangerous structure to avert what could have been a national aviation disaster.

An aviation expert cited by the group warned that the increasing number of zinc-roofed buildings around the airport poses an unexpected yet serious risk.

The reflective surfaces, the expert explained, can blind pilots during landing approaches, impairing visibility and increasing the chance of an aircraft overshooting the runway.

“This is not a mere concern. This is a grave aviation safety threat,” the group stressed, adding that every flight to Wa carries a heightened level of danger under the current circumstances.

Yirimambo Advocacy Group is calling on key state actors—including the Wa Naa, the Upper West Regional Minister, Members of Parliament, security agencies, municipal authorities, the Lands Commission, and the National Security Secretariat—to act swiftly to prevent what they describe as “a preventable disaster in the making.”

The group insists the issue goes beyond municipal enforcement and must be treated as a national emergency.

Preliminary investigations by the group suggest that some of the illegal structures may have been erected with questionable or improperly issued permits.

The Lands Commission and certain municipal officers, they say, must account for how restricted aviation lands were allocated for private development.

They warn that continued encroachment jeopardises the future expansion of the region’s only airport and could eventually lead to mass demolitions, displacement, and financial losses for affected families, as well as disruption to the regional economy.

The group is calling for the following measures:

Immediate halt to all construction around the airport

Independent investigation into all land allocations near the facility

Establishment of a permanent airport safety buffer zone

Demolition of all structures within critical aviation safety limits

Security deployment to enforce compliance

A public sensitisation campaign on the dangers of airport encroachment

The Yirimambo Advocacy Group cautioned that political, tribal, or religious considerations must not overshadow the urgent need to protect the region’s only airport.

“The Upper West Region cannot afford to lose its only airport.

It is the gateway to development, investment, emergency services, and national connectivity,” the group emphasised.

They urged authorities to act swiftly, warning that failure to intervene now could result in a devastating aviation tragedy that could have been prevented