Accra, Sept. 27, GNA - Government’s vision and strategic reforms aimed at repositioning Ghana as an aviation hub in Africa, received global recognition yesterday after the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) conferred two awards on the country.
The Awards, “ICAO Council President Certificate in Aviation Security and the ICAO Council President Certificate in Aviation Safety” were conferred on the country during the United Nations aviation agency’s 40th Triennial Assembly held in Montréal.
A statement signed and copied to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, the Minister of Aviation, said ICAO was recognizing Ghana’s progress in resolving aviation security and oversight deficiencies, and its commitment to the effective implementation of standards and recommended practices.
The other award was also to recognise the strides Ghana made in 2018 towards the resolution of safety oversight deficiencies and improvement in the effective implementation of related ICAO standards and recommended practices.
The statement said Ghana in April this year, obtained an effective implementation rate of 89.89 per cent, the highest by an African country, following ICAO’s conclusion of its Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM) in Accra.
It said the awards were received by Mr Joseph Kofi Adda, who was joined by the High Commissioner of Ghana to Canada, Nii Ayikoi Otoo; the Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Mr Simon Allotey, and the Acting Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Mr Yaw Kwakwa.
The statement said Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, the President of the ICAO Council, said: “Collectively, as aviation leaders, we have a very critical responsibility to ensure that there are sufficient number of skilled personnel to manage the increasingly complex technological foundation for 21st century aviation.”
“This Assembly will be one for bold decisions, and a time to refine our vision for how air transport can be of even greater service to States and regions, businesses and travellers, in the exciting years ahead. I would encourage you to progress this work mindful of the global expectations now and always upon us, and in the spirit of the preamble to the Chicago Convention,” he added.
The statement said Mr Adda in an address to the ICAO Assembly, expressed Ghana’s deepest appreciation to ICAO for the awards and commended GCAA and GACL for their commitment to continued ICAO compliance, adding that the recognition was a direct outcome of the numerous steps which government had taken in support of the growth of the aviation industry.
He emphasised that enhanced air connectivity and States’ economic development were inextricably linked, and urged greater collaboration between ICAO and key players in the global air transport system in that regard.
He was quoted as saying: “I wish to strongly encourage the leadership of ICAO to partner with governments across the globe to prioritize this sector in their economic development policies and to elevate it as a principle for adoption at the World Economic Forum.”
The statement said he highlighted sectoral policy reform and key investments in ICAO compliant infrastructure intended to complement on-going efforts at transforming Ghana’s aviation industry.
“The uptake in these projects is in line with government’s vision towards repositioning Ghana as a major aviation hub in Africa. And the establishment of a home-based carrier to ensure that Ghana remains on the global aviation map is currently being pursued through a strategic partnership arrangement with an established airline which should be operational soon,” the Minister said.
Mr Adda also reminded his audience that at a time that ICAO recognized that Africa presented the highest potential for growth out of all of the UN aviation agency’s global regions, air connectivity in the continent should not be so poor that people travelling to parts of Africa had to fly into Europe to be able to connect flights into their final destinations back in Africa.
“By the year 2022, when the next ICAO Assembly will have taken place, anyone flying from anywhere in Africa to everywhere in Africa, should be able to do so within Africa in less than 24 hours, without leaving the African airspace,” he added.
The statement disclosed that the 40th Assembly, which will also elect the 36-Member Council of ICAO and agree on the UN aviation agency’s work programme and budget for the next three years, would be concluded on October 4, 2019.
GNA
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