The Ministry of Transport has commended the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority for maintaining the country’s enviable aviation record.
That, it said. was as the result of the application of the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s standards which caused the country to maintain one of the highest aviation safety and security standards globally.
Mr Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, Minister of Transport, said this in a speech read on his behalf by Mr Hassan Tampuli, Deputy Transport Minister, at a ceremony in Accra to re-launch the Aviation Safety Inspectors Association of Ghana (AVSIAG).
The Association, inaugurated on 4th August 2013 is an umbrella body of retired and active Aviation Safety Inspectors.
Members of the Association include Airworthiness Inspectors, Flight Operations Inspectors, Security Inspectors, Personnel Licensing Inspectors, Aerodrome Inspectors and Air Navigation Services Inspectors.
Mr Asiamah said one of the practical steps, towards achieving safe, secure, efficient, and environmentally sustainable operations was regulated and standardised practice.
He said the country was found to be conforming to the international standards in various international audits, “and it thus comes as no surprise that Ghana is now a member of the ICAO Council.”
The Minister said the country was awarded the ‘ICAO Council President Certificate’ for obtaining Africa’s highest score in Aviation Safety Oversight after scoring an Effective Implementation (EI) rate of 89.89 per cent after the completion of ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) on April 3, 2019.
It had another award for security in recognition of its high commitment to the ICAO’s standards and protocols on security at the Airport and Ghana’s Airspace.
Mr Asiamah noted that the laurels and achievements were partly due to the safety and security oversight systems put in place by Government as well as the empowerment of Aviation Safety Inspectors to ensure the implementation of the standards in the country.
Aviation Safety Inspectors work to ensure aircraft safety through certification, surveillance, and enforcement of standards.
The Ministry of Transport, he said, continuously places great emphasis on inspectors’ development and training to equip them to take on the task of safety and security oversight responsibilities.
Mr Charles Kraikue, Director General, GCAA, stated that the aviation sector was resilient and was experiencing tremendous levels of new technology and innovation coupled with exciting, opportunities and challenges.
He said the Authority had acknowledged the benefits of Safety Management System (SMS) in reducing safety risks for commercial aviation, hence, it was working to expand SMS requirements to airport operators and aviation service providers.
The Director General said it had collected a significant amount of safety data from proactive initiatives like SMS, fatigue risk management, safety reporting programmes among others.
“The more we collect, analyse and share safety data, and discuss safety issues openly and transparently between stakeholders throughout the industry, the better we can achieve a more predictive aviation safety system,” he said.
Mr Peter Akwetey, President, AVSIAG, called for collaboration in the industry as each member played their parts. “Let us pledge to uphold the highest safety standards as we work together to maintain or improve on Ghana’ s safety record. Let us soar safely, together.”
Mr Akwetey assured that the Association would continue to support the Government’s vision of making Ghana an Aviation Hub in the Sub-Region.
