Cabinet has approved the establishment of an Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau by the Aviation Ministry as part of efforts to ensure air safety in the country.

Sector minister, Joseph Kofi Ada explained that the Bureau will have the independent mandate to investigate air accidents.

Speaking at the inauguration of the National Aviation Safety Coordination Group, Wednesday, he said the bill will be presented to Parliament under a certificate of urgency to fast track its passage.

“The ministry has received approval from Cabinet for the establishment of an Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau.

"Accordingly, the ministry is working in collaboration with the Attorney General has prepared a Bill which has been laid in Parliament for consideration and passage,” the minister revealed.

Regarding the duty of the Bureau, the minister explained it “will function as an autonomous entity with the mandate to investigate aircraft accidents and incidents occurring in and over Ghana as well as the oceanic region within the Accra Flight Information Region.”

Meanwhile, deputy Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Charles Krakue, expressed the need for more collaboration with other stakeholders for safe air space.

“A framework which will allow GCAA and the identified State agencies in attendance here to interact more effectively in the resolution of safety concerns, I am pleased to announce that the SSP will combine prescriptive and performance-based approaches to safety rulemaking, safety policy development and safety oversight in our industry,” he stated.

Aviation safety constitutes the bedrock upon which the global air transport system is built.

As a deadly coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic plunges the airline industry into an unprecedented crisis and causes the revenues of civil aviation regulators to plummet, our sector’s contribution to economic development remains significant.

Until the outbreak of COVID-19, air transport supported nearly 6.2 million jobs and generated $55.8 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Africa.

The African aviation market is one of the world’s most promising in terms of its overall growth potential.

This is because of a growing industrial sector and the continent’s population of 1.3 billion that is set to further increase, well into the future.

Stakeholders inducted into the National Aviation Safety Coordination Group include the National Communications Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, Ghana Airforce, Ghana Nuclear Atomic Agency among others.