Kofi Adda, Aviation Minister
The Minister of Aviation, Joseph Kofi Adda, says the habit of people who are mostly focused on fomenting trouble and succumbing to cheap tricks to help secure contracts for unscrupulous businessmen must stop.
Addressing the press yesterday to throw more light on media reports on LCB contract and disinfection of airports, the Minister stated that it is rather unfortunate that some Ghanaians are not interested in the truth.
In those media reports, it was alleged by David Kwadwo Amoateng and Nana Poku, who are the Greater Accra Regional Branch Chairman and General Secretary, respectively, of the Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) that the Minister of Aviation and the Managing Director of the Ghana Aviation Company Limited (GACL) had diverted a contract that was awarded to LCB for the disinfection of the airports to another company.
Setting the records straight, Mr Adda reiterated that there was no contract between the Government of Ghana and LCB Worldwide for the disinfection of airports, after the Governing Board of the Ghana Airports Company Limited turned down an offer to disinfect the airport at a cost unacceptable to GACL.
“Under this proposal, the cost of disinfection was to be recovered through a levy on domestic and international air passengers. I must place on record that such a levy violates the guidance and recommended practices on airport-related charges set by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO),” he stated.
Domestic flights
Mr Adda stated firmly that the Ministry is bent on ensuring that the safety and security of Ghana’s airports are maintained, a feat that has seen Ghana being ranked the highest in Africa in 2019, adding, “It is therefore not these two gentlemen who will tell us what to do in this regard.”
With regards to the Covid-19, Mr Adda said, following government’s lifting of the lockdown to contain the spread of the disease, “it became necessary to prepare the airports to commence domestic flights, after domestic airlines expressed their readiness to begin operations.”
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I want you to know that, indeed, I was the one who drew the attention of GACL to the need to ensure that airport facilities as well as incoming and outgoing cargo were disinfected…,” he said.
The Aviation Minister added that all the Covid-19 protocols are being observed with the commencement of domestic flights.
