Accra, Nov. 30, GNA - Ghana and the International Air Transport Association(IATA) on Monday signed the IATA-Ghana Civil Aviation Authority(GCAA) Regional Training Partnership Agreement. The training, which would be undertaken at the GCAA Training Academy(GATA), is aimed at bringing quality training in various aviation related courses to the door-steps of operators in Ghana. Mr. Willie Orhin, Deputy Director General of the GCAA in charge of Finance and Administration, initialled for the GCAA and said IATA now designated GATA as the major Aviation training centre in West Africa. He stressed that courses offered at GATA, were for the entire Aviation Industry and not GCAA workers alone.

Mr. Orhin who is also the accountable manager for the school, observed that with the Aviation sector maintaining very high standards in all their services with exceptional safety requirements, there was definitely the need for a well equipped school that trained people for excellence within the aviation industry.

He said with the certification of GATA by IATA to run IATA approved courses, IATA instructors would be flown into Ghana to conduct training, "and it would be cheaper to train employees, since savings would be made by the operator on air fares and travel allowances. More employees can also be trained in Ghana at lower cost". Mr. Samson Fatokun, Aviation Solutions Manager of West and Central Africa for IATA, who initialled for IATA, said the air transport industry was a very highly regulated one. "The past mark in the industry is only 100 per cent," he remarked.

He said there was room for improvement within the aviation sector in Africa, adding that the agreement was not to benefit the GCAA alone but the entire African continent.

Mr. Fatokun said GATA perfectly suited IATA's goal and passion to ensure that the aviation sector attained perfection in ensuring that standard aviation regulations and practices were adhered to. In the year 2008, GATA was established under the Ghana Civil Aviation Sector Upgrade Project. The objective of this project was to strengthen and enhance the institutional efficiency and development capacity within the aviation sector, to maintain an environment which would ensure safety that matched international standards. 30 Nov. 10