Air Cargo Village needs security

The Air Cargo Village of the Kotoka International Airport has been declared a security area to ensure the safety of those who do business there. Captain Joe Boachie, Director-General of the GCAA, said this at a day's symposium in Accra on Thursday on the threat to cargo security and its ramifications in the aviation industry.

He said the adoption of a liberalised sky policy was to remove restrictions in the operations of cargo services. This therefore, placed responsibilities on stakeholders to ensure the security of packaging, storage and transport of commodities. Capt. Boachie urged operators in the industry to collaborate with GCAA and other partners to ensure that security was maintained.

The symposium, which was organised by African Ground Operations (AFGO) in collaboration with the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and other stakeholders, was to bring to the fore measures being put in place to ensure safe and secured operations in the air cargo business.

He said cargo through the airport grew at an average rate of five per cent between 1997 and 2002, adding that there was the need to ensure that this growth was sustained and improved by creating conducive environment within which cargo business operated.

Alex Yeboah, Security Monitoring Co-ordinator at AFGO, said there are concerns for a secured terminal because the freight terminal received a large number of visitors, consignees, consignors and other operators who conducted business there.

He recounted the security concerns of stakeholders of the AFGO village in the face of recent upsurge of terrorist activities.

Yeboah highlighted some of the new security measures to be put in place at the cargo village with effect from 9 June. These include measures to control and monitor people, a new vehicular movement system and new ID cards for operators at the Village.

Group Captain Albert Nkansah, Airport Security Co-ordinator, said there were internal and external activities that had to be harmonised and controlled to maximise effective security at the Village.