Government is considering the separation of the regulatory and service provision functions of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) in a move that is likely to see the establishment of a new entity.

The policy, which will be pursued by the Ministry of Aviation in 2019, is aimed at strengthening Ghana’s aviation safety and security.

Until November 2004, the GCAA and the Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) operated as a single entity

But the Civil Aviation Act of 2004, Act 678 provided for the establishment of the GCAA to focus on the core functions of airspace management and safety regulations and the GACL to handle airport development and operations.

Twelve years on, the Aviation Minister Joseph Kofi Adda said there is the need for more decoupling to be done with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

“We have a very good and enviable record when it comes to safety and security. It is important that we continue to enhance this… decuple the regulatory function and the service provision function of the GCAA,” he stated.

Also, he said the Ministry will in next year push for the establishment of an independent aviation accident investigative body, saying “Also there is the need for us to set up an independent aviation accident and investigation board”

Mr. Kofi Adda said the Ministry will work hard at this policy objective of government next year to ensure that by the middle of the year, “we will be able to complete the ground work that is required to get the policy approved by government and to draft the required laws and pass them through parliament.

“These are all critical matters that will make Ghana stand tall in the field of aviation in the African continent,” he stated.