President sanctions bill to amend civil aviation

General News of Sunday, March 17, 2019

Source: ghananewsagency.org

2019-03-17

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo, approved the draft law on civil aviation in Ghana (amendment) which will become law 985 (2019).

The amendment of the Civil Aviation Law No. 906 (2016) in Ghana aims to address the various shortcomings identified by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) with respect to the aviation sector. of aviation.

The new law therefore allows GCAA to continue to provide air navigation services until the creation of a new entity.

It also reinforces the role of the Minister of Aviation in the areas of accident and serious incident investigations.

On March 8, Parliament pbaded the bill to improve security and enhance security in the aviation sector.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Aviation, with a copy to the Ghana News Agency, on March 9, said the sector minister, Mr. Kofi Adda, who had proposed that the draft pbaded, explained that this amendment was also intended to ensure compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The Navrongo Central MP also explained that although the sector was already doing very well by world standards and was very high, this amendment would help fill the gaps identified in many badessments of operational structures and systems. air navigation services. and to ensure the effective implementation of state security programs and accident investigations.

This would be done through the establishment of an independent group led by the Minister responsible for the investigation of accidents and serious incidents in the sector.

It would also strengthen the powers of the Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) to enable him to conduct investigations and access vital information.

It also provides for the financing of independent equipment to ensure the proper functioning of its staff, while helping to prevent unqualified personnel from performing flights.

"The same amendment would also see the decoupling of GCAA separating the regulatory function from the provision of navigation services," he said.

"Here again, new equipment for air navigation services would be created under this amendment if the President approves the law."

Following this, the Ministry of Aviation would use to have additional regulations pbaded by the Parliament's Subsidiary Legislation Committee, in time for an ICAO audit, at the end of the month. .

The minister said that the amendment bill had far-reaching consequences for improving Ghana's qualification in category 1 of the "One Category" status in order to benefit from the federal administration's aviation for Ghanaian flights to the United States of America.

"In recent times, we have seen major initiatives in this type of infrastructure and system improvement projects, which, combined with this legislation, have all resulted in the country becoming truly the hub of aviation. of the sub-region ".