Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Air-Commodore (Rtd.) Victor Kwame Mamphey, has handed-in his resignation to the regulator’s board.
The nine-member board chaired by Air Vice-Marshal Christian Edem Dovlo has subsequently approved his resignation, which takes effect from June 30, 2014.
Air-Commodore (Rtd.) Mamphey was appointed Director-General of the GCAA in 2009, and is credited with overseeing transformation and growth of the aviation industry over the past five years.
With just one main domestic operator and a dozen international carriers flying to Ghana in 2009, he is credited with encouraging the growth of indigenous carriers and attracting strategic international airlines into the country.
There are now about 42 scheduled flights servicing the Kotoka International Airport, including three major domestic airlines — Antrak, Starbow and Africa World Airlines.
Under the leadership of Mr. Mamphey, the GCAA hosted the 23rd African Civil Aviation Commission Plenary Session in Accra in April 2013.
He is also credited with leading the GCAA to generate revenue for construction of a multi-purpose training facility at the KIA enclave to train aviation professionals in Ghana and the sub-region. The seven-storey training academy and office complex is to be completed by August at a cost of US$10million.
The GCAA, under his stewardship, was named the 2013 African Airlines Association Service Provider of the Year at the 45th Annual General Meeting and Summit held in Mombasa, Kenya.
On the issue of safety he has ensured that Ghana’s airspace is safe and secure, winning the confidence of international carriers.
Ghana is considered one of the safest places to fly to in the West African sub-region. Airline accidents under Air Commodore Mamphey’s tenure have been limited, except for the Allied Air Crash in June 2012 — which investigations blamed on the laxity of the pilot — and the recent helicopter crash in the Western Region.
The GCAA during Cmdr. Mamphey’s tenure of office has acquired and installed a new Instrument Landing System (ILS) for KIA — after the Allied Air aircraft over-shot the KIA runway and damaged the existing one.
He also oversaw the acquisition and installation of and a brand-new Instrument Landing System (ILS) for the Kumasi Airport at a cost of €800,000 from internally generated funds.
The acquisition and installation of Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-Range (DVOR) and Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) at a cost of US$1.5million and Installation of Aeronutical Terminal Information System (ATIS) — with the ability to broadcast aeronautical information such as weatherdirectly to pilots without depending on air traffic controllers — was also done during his tenure.
Ghana is one of the few countries in Africa operating the ATIS system.
One critical and very important decision that he took during his tenure was that to suspend all flights to Kumasi as a precautionary measure to protect lives as result of defects found of the Kumasi runway.
By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
