{"id":597723,"date":"2019-03-09T17:22:45","date_gmt":"2019-03-09T17:22:45","guid":{"rendered":"
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Parliament has passed into law\u00a0an amendment of the Ghana Civil Aviation Act\u00a0to further improve safety and strengthen security in the aviation industry.<\/p>\n

The amendment is to ensure that Ghana is ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) compliant.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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According to Joseph Kofi Adda, the Aviation Minister\u00a0who moved the motion for the adoption of the bill on Friday, the sector is already doing well by global standards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Navrongo MP said the sector\u00a0is ranking highly but this amendment is to further take into consideration, deficiencies identified in various assessments of the structures and operational systems of air navigation services.<\/p>\n

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He said it will see to the effective implementation of the state safety programmes and accidents investigations\u00a0by setting up an independent outfit under the Minister for the Accidents and Serious Incidents investigations in the sector.<\/p>\n

Mr Adda said the amendment would also make provision for the funding of the independent outfit to ensure effective work by its personnel.<\/p>\n

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Joseph Kofi Adda, Aviation Minister<\/b><\/p>\n

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\u201cThe powers of the Director General of Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) would also be enhanced to allow for access for accidents investigations and\u00a0information as well as to be able to prevent flights by unqualified personnel,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The same amendment would also see the decoupling of the GCAA segregating the regulatory function and navigation services provision.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere too, a new outfit for the Air Navigation Services would be established under the amendment if assented into law by the President,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Following the amendment, the Aviation Ministry would move to get additional regulations passed through by the Subsidiary Legislation Committee of Parliament, all in time for an audit by ICAO later this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll in all, the amendment has far-reaching consequences in terms of Ghana\u2019s rating improving and bringing the country into the Category 1 Status to qualify under the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Ghanaian flights to enter into the United States of America,\u201d the Minister explained.<\/p>\n

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