A Senior Aviation Safety Inspector at the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Senam Atadja has urged Ghanaians to purchase drones from certified providers to ensure adherence to safety procedures.
These remarks were made at a products launch by an indigenous company, SKT Aero Shutter in Accra.
Mr Adjata said that the drone industry is still in its infancy stage and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has been mandated by government to ensure its development.
He added that the only way sanity can be assured in the use of drones in Ghana is to ensure users adhere to regulations by familiarizing themselves with the directives set up by the authority. “As long as we play by the rules, we have nothing to fear” he said.
He said that the regulations governing the use of drones on the authority’s website include registering them and avoiding operation within a 10 kilometer radius of an airport. Mr Atadja cautioned that drones can cause injury and even death hence the need to ensure safety when operating them.
The GCCA, he disclosed, is not only a regulator but an enabler and will promote the use of drones in other areas such as agriculture, delivery of drugs, protection of wildlife and aiding in the fight against illegal mining ‘galamsey’ to protect resources.
Mr Derrick Annang, Managing Director for SKT Aero Shutter Ghana said that drones have been designed to engage in mapping agricultural sites, spraying crops and monitoring plant growth to identify and eliminate disease infections among others. They can also be used in the construction sector for quantity surveying as well as other sectors such as oil and gas, security and telecommunications.
