The acting Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Rev. Stephen Wilfred Arthur, has pledged to complete projects being undertaken at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) to position Ghana as an aviation hub in Africa.

He disclosed that there are a number of initiatives ongoing to lift the status of KIA among its peers as a destination for businesses and an air traffic centre.

Speaking at a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting organised by the authority in Accra on June 11, 2025, Rev. Arthur said the projects will also enhance safety and security at the KIA, a crucial requirement for ranking airports across the world.

He stated, for example, that the upgrading of KIA’s tower centre will help attract more airlines and make Ghana a stop point for most international carriers.

“The construction of the modern air traffic control tower centre will transform our airspace management systems, boosting radar surveillance, communication efficiency, and safety protocols. All these projects are very much on course”, he said.

He assured that GCAA is working closely with the government and other external partners to ensure the completion of the projects on time.  

“It is expected that by the end of next year, the modern air traffic control centre will be completed. The forthcoming implementation, or I must say that it is even ongoing, is more than 80% complete. The infrastructural part of it is 100% complete,” he announced.

He added that the GCAA is also enhancing its data system to coordinate and harmonise flight activities at the airport.  

“What exactly am I referring to? I am referring to the advanced passenger information system and the passenger name record system that is long overdue to be implemented in Ghana”.

Providing some details, Rev. Arthur said the sophisticated advanced passenger information system will improve security by receiving all passenger data at a central point to be analyzed by the state security agencies when needed.

This, he said will help the Ghana Immigration Service identify persons entering Ghana’s airspace before they land at any airport in the country.

He stated that the system is in full alignment with global aviation security architecture, allowing Ghana to plug in to the new paradigm of coordinated efforts against cross border crime.

About the breakfast meeting

The breakfast meeting brought together stakeholders in the aviation industry including the Ghana Airport Company Limited, Ghana Immigration Service, Ghana Air Force, and representatives of the domestic airlines, Passion Air, and Africa World Airlines.

The Minister for Transport, Joseph Bukari Nikpe, used the occasion to assure players in the aviation industry that the government is committed to improving infrastructure at the various regional airports in the country.

He pointed out that the runways of the Prempeh I International Airport in Kumasi and the Tamale Airport will also be upgraded soon.