KIA Needs New Equipment To Maintain Security Standards

The Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has called on the Government to provide more technologies for the airport to further improve safety and security.

This, it said, would enable them maintain and improve status of Kotoka International Airport (KIA) as the most secure and safe airport in West Africa.

Brigadier General Mankattah (Rtd), Airport Security Coordinator, made the call when presenting the award for �Best Security and Safety Conscious Airport in West Africa�, conferred on KIA by Africa Watch at the Eight Security Watch Africa Awards over the week-end, to the Board of Directors of the company in Accra on Monday.

Brig-Gen. Mankattah, who received the award on behalf of the management, at the awards ceremony held in Banjul, Gambia, said GACL had been able to achieve a lot with the limited resources available and could perform better to make KIA attain more laurels when it was equipped with modern technologies in aviation.

He mentioned technologies such as biometric access control to limit access to restricted areas as well as scanners for the scanning of cargo and personnel to help especially in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.

Brig-Gen Mankattah said the award was an indication of the Airport�s commitment to ensuring safety and security adding, the NGO that conferred the award visited airports in West Africa and assessed their safety and security measures, documentation and other physical happenings at the airport.

Mrs Doreen Owusu-Fianko, Managing Director of GACL, said the award was a challenge to the management to maintain and improve upon the current state of safety and security at the KIA.

She commended security agencies operating at the airport, Aviation Security, Narcotics Control Board, Bureau of National Investigations, security outfits within GACL and Ghana Civil Aviation Authority as well as airline security, for their work in ensuring safety and security.

Mrs Owusu-Fianko said measures such as security orientations given to all airport workers before issuance of Identification Cards, installation of bird dispersal equipment by GCAA, regular Foreign Objects/Debris (FOD) walks, to remove objects that might be harmful to aircrafts, enforcement of use of reflective jackets at airside and regular checks of aircrafts and its personnel had all contributed to win KIA the �Best Security And Safety Conscious Airport In West Africa� award.

Mr Kuntu Blankson, Chairman of Board of Directors of GACL, commended the management and staff for their hard work and added that the technologies requested was in the board�s plan and they would be provided as soon as a proposal was forwarded to the Board.

Source: GNA