18th Apr 2018 | Elizabeth Sasu
Madam Cecilia Dappaah, the Minister for Aviation, Ghana, welcomed everyone present to the Sub-Saharan Africa Aviation Security Regional Workshop event and extended the felicitations from His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana.
The Sub-Saharan Africa Aviation Security Regional Workshop came of the Movenpick Ambassador hotel on 17th April, 2018. It will be a two day workshop.
The workshop was organized to ”provide a real opportunity to develop how we collectively continue to work together to ensure that aviation remains as safe as possible without doubt in enhancing aviation security globally and thus bring financial and economic benefits to us all”, one of the deputy heads in Aviation Security International Operations responsible for the whole Africa Sub-Region said.
The Honourable Minister, said that ”the threat to aviation remains compelling”. This was due to the fact that, air travel and trade was linked and ”terrorists may attack from anywhere within the international civil aviation system by identifying vulnerabilities to gain access to their intended target.
She stated that, States were required ”to be proactive and vigilant to develop appropriate effective, protective and reactive aviation security measures to meet the threat at the national and operational levels”.
She stressed the fact that, Aviation Security was of paramount importance to Ghana as a member of ICAO and will not renege on its ”responsibilities of ensuring a safe and secure aviation industry”.
Also, that at the regulatory level, some initiatives had been undertaken by the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), to comply with ICAO Annex 17 Standards to strenthen security. mong the initiatives was the implementation of a Regulated Agent Regime through the development and implementation of a National Air Cargo and Mail Security Programme (NACMSP). Under the initiative, cargo operators ”have been approved as Regulated Agents and Known Consignors to ensure the establishment and standardized application of common systems, procedures and measures for the purpose of safeguarding the transportation of cargo and mail by air against acts of unlawful interference”, the Minister said.
National Civil Aviation Security Certification Systems Programme (NCASCSP), is another initiative by the Ministry to enhance quality of security with the objective of ensuring that adequate aviation security standards are consistently and reliably achieved in Ghana.
She futher on congratulated the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL), on the remarkable investment in technology by installing Active Millimetre Wave Body Scanners to enhance aviation security screening for passengers and cabin baggage for international flights. The GACL has installed and utilizes a Level 3 Explosive Detection X-Ray Screening System (EDS) for hold baggage screening at the Terminal 2 of the Kotoka International Airport (KIA). Also, that, detailed security cosiderations were integrated in the design and building of the new Terminal 3 to enhance aviation security, which will be commissioned soon.
Madam Dapaah, adviced that, States needed to cooperate with each other to ”facilitate the smooth and efficient movement of air travellers and civil aircrft within and acrross continents. She admonished all States to ”foster a culture of security among various airport staff and stakeholders other than aviation security within their countries”. She wanted the various airport personnel and stakeholders who access to all areas of the airport to be given periodic security awareness programs which will include security incident reporting that will help promote a positive security culture.
She brought her remarks to a close by calling on the UK Department for Transport, ”to engage further with Ghana in particular and Africa as a whole through such Workshops and Seminars to discuss aviation security issues and other new and emerging threats to the industry.
Source: gh-aviation
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