Ghana ready to learn from ICAO on security

Accra, Aug. 25 GNA - The Ministries of Defence and the Interior on Monday told the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that Ghana would co-operate with it to ensure that the nation's security agencies learnt from the organisation's training programme on Crisis Management Exercise (CME).

Dr Kwame Addo Kufuor, Defence Minister and Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, the Interior Minister gave the assurance when a three-member team of ICAO called on them separately in their offices to brief them on an impending exercise the organisation was to have with the security agencies.

The team, led by Mr Walter D. Parks, Aviation Security Officer of the ICAO, is in the country to brief the government on its readiness on the exercise in November.

Dr Addo Kufuor said "our men would be up to the task when the time comes and they will acquit themselves creditably". The Minister said he was confident that there would be good collaboration between the Army, Air Force, Police and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) security personnel during the exercises. Mr Owusu-Agyeman said he was grateful for the ICAO initiative and added that Ghana as member of the UN had signed all the conventions against terrorism.

He said no country was immune when it came to the issues of terrorism and thus there was the need for all countries to co-operate to eliminate problems that gradually gain grounds on the continent. Mr Jean Claude Waffo, ICAO Regional Officer in-charge of Aerodromes and Ground Aids, said the team was in the country at the invitation of the government.

He said the exercise was to assist the country in testing its readiness to crisis management situations and how to handle problems such as hijacking, bomb alert and terrorism at the airport.