Business magnate Daniel McKorley, popularly known as McDan, has demanded more government protection for Ghanaian local businesses.
McDan detailed that the private sector is the risk-taker of the country, and we must be protected.
According to McDan, Ghana’s economic transformation depends heavily on the strength of the private sector’s ability to invest, innovate and create jobs.
Speaking at the launch of the 10th Ghana CEO Summit in Accra, McDan stated, “Various governments should walk the talk of indigenisation, and it shouldn’t just be rhetoric,” he said. “We need, government needs, to protect the private sector against foreign invasion.”
Describing local businesses as central to the country’s future, he added: “We are the risk-takers of the country, and we must be protected.”
“We have to make sure that we, as captains of industry, are able to absorb the 500,000 unemployed men coming out of the universities year by year,” he said.
“The government creates the normal environment, but it is business that invests, innovates, and creates jobs,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nii Adote Otintor II, the Paramount Chief of the Sempe Traditional Area, Nii Adote Otintor II has told the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) to halt their hostile takeover of McDan Aviation at Terminal 1.
The Sempe Chief called on the GACL to restore McDan Aviation’s access to its FBO terminal, adding that the dispute is resolved through lawful procedures.
In a statement issued from the Sempe Stool on March 14, the Sempe Chief stated, “The events represent not just a breach of contract, but an assault on the very spirit of Ghanaian entrepreneurship and a blatant defiance of our judicial system”.
The Sempe Chief highlighted that the GACL ignored a mandatory 90-day notice period required for eviction under the contractual agreement, adding that the development undermines investments made by local investors, which could deter local entrepreneurs from investing in the country.
“The optics of this takeover are troubling. When local investors feel unsafe in their own country, we kill the motivation for future generations to take plausible investment risks,” he said.
The Chief further called on the Ministry of Transport to intervene by restraining GACL and to reinstate McDan Aviation to its Terminal 1 facility.
The Sempe Chief’s remarks follow the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) announcement that it has ended its Fixed Base Operation (FBO) agreement with McDan Aviation Handling Services Limited.
According to the GACL, the FBO agreement has been terminated due to McDan Aviation’s unpaid licence fees, rent, and royalties.
In August 2022, the agreement was signed, granting McDan Aviation the licence to provide Fixed Base Operation services at designated areas within Terminal 1 of the Accra International Airport.
Under the agreement, McDan Aviation was required to pay licence fees, royalties, and rent to GACL.
GACL revealed that McDan Aviation began defaulting on its payment obligations shortly after the agreement took effect in 2022.
A report by citinews read, “The airport operator said that after several unsuccessful attempts to recover the outstanding debt, access to Terminal 1 was restricted in late 2024. McDan Aviation subsequently settled arrears covering the period from 2022 to 2024, which led to the reopening of the terminal for its operations.
Despite clearing those arrears, GACL said the company again accumulated significant debt due to continued non-payment. The airport authority indicated that no payments were received for rent and royalties throughout 2025, while the operating licence fee due since 2022 also remained outstanding.
In line with the agreement, which requires a 90-day notice period before termination, GACL said it formally notified McDan Aviation on January 10, 2025, to settle the outstanding debt. The company said three additional reminders were issued throughout 2025, urging the firm to meet its financial obligations”.