The newly inaugurated Board of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has been charged to urgently work towards the construction of a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) Tower to improve its operations.
According to Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, delays or non-execution of the project could potentially impact on the safety and security of Ghana’s airspace.
In a statement read on his behalf by Deputy Minister of Transport, Hassan Tampuli, during the inauguration of the new Board in Accra yesterday, he said, a well-equipped ATC Tower would ensure better coordination and improvement of the airspace safety.
Although lots of investments have been made in enhancing safety and security in Ghana’s aviation, there was the need for more investments to make Ghana a lead in safety and security within the West African region.
“For Ghana to become a hub, there must be conscious efforts and some amount of investment to improve the safety and security of the sector.
Investment must be made in state-of-the-art equipment for communication and surveillance to enhance better coordination and improvement of the airspace safety,” the Minister noted.
Chaired by Captain Powis Deakens Spencer, other members of the Board include Charles Kraikue, Mabel AsiSagoe, KwasiOwusu-Ansah and Air Commodore Jacob AnumAshrifie.
The rest are Joyce OpokuBoateng, Cecilia Kwofie, Ofori Kofi Newman and Alfred Obeng Boateng
Reiterating the importance of promoting aviation safety and security, MrAsiamah said the country would lose the envisaged economic benefits if the country fails to re-enforce safety and security protocols as stipulated in ICAO Annex 17 and related Standards and Recommended Practices (SAPRs).
He urged the Board to work with management to address the Authority’s dire financial situation that had been propelled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
To help in rebuilding, he tasked the Board to promote a harmonised and inclusive approach to facilitate safe domestic and international air travels to strengthen the confidence of the traveling public.
MrAsiamah asked the Board to urgently engage management and labour unions to address recent labour agitations over the use of aviation lands and other matters.
The Ministry, he noted, would be on hand to provide the necessary support and policy direction on key issues for the development of the sector and called on the Board to commit to working towards the vision of aviation recovery in the pandemic era.
On behalf of the Board, Captain Spencer said Ghana was a beacon of hope in the Aviation industry in Africa and the world at large adding that “we will continue to maintain and strengthen those enviable records that have been achieved over the years.”
He said the Board would strengthen the policy direction of the Authority in ensuring that the government’s agenda of making Ghana an aviation hub was achieved.
The Board, he noted, would ensure that a conducive environment was established to create the synergy to ensure that the GCAA continue to achieve progressively positive results.
BY CLAUDE NYARKO ADAMS
