The Ghana Civil Aviation Training Academy (GATA) has admitted its first batch of foreign students to undergo training in Air Traffic Services.
The arrival of the students follows a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Ghana Civil Aviation Authority and the Liberian Civil Aviation Authority.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Academy recently got the approval to run aviation programmes in the fields of Air Traffic Services, Aeronautical Information Services, Airport Operations, Aviation Radio Telephony, Safety Regulation and Aviation English Language Proficiency. Since its inception in March, 2009, the academy has been offering programmes for staff of GCAA and other locals. The students from Liberia are the first foreign students.
The admission of the students from Liberia attracted some media attention to the academy, Several media houses in the capital, Accra toured the facilities at the academy to ascertain, at firsthand, what makes GATA such an important asset to the aviation industry in the sub-region.

Addressing the media, the Director-General of GCAA, Air Cdre Kwame Mamphey said with the expected growth in the aviation industry in Ghana due to the oil find, and the large tourism potential for the country, there is the need to re-equip all operators in the aviation industry. This, in his view, is one of the key reasons why GATA’s existence becomes so important.
He added that the GCAA has highly qualified personnel to ensure that safety is assured at all times. Already Ghana is in the lead in the sub-region as far as safety and security in the airspace is concerned Air Cdre Mamphey said.

GCAA is working hard at developing its La-Nkwatanang land near Adneta in Accra into a modern aviation facility that will house an ultra modern aviation academy and other aviation related services.

The Accountable Manager of the school and Deputy Director-General of GCAA, Mr. Willie Orhin, said GCAA air traffic controllers are among the topmost in the world and some of these controllers who would be retiring very soon would be re-engaged, on contract basis, to support the training school in order to produce very quality Air Traffic Controllers the aviation industry can boast of.
During the tour of the school, Mr. Thomas Duopah, Head of Training in the school said the school has adopted very unique training methodologies akin to ICAO standards to ensure that students who go through the academy’s curricula end up as solid professionals and experts.