Minister of Transport, Kwaku Asiamah Ofori and US ambassador to Ghana
Security at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has further been deepened as anti-terrorism body scanners have been installed for use at the Terminal 3 of the airport.
The security screening equipment is courtesy the Antiterrorism Assistance Programme of the U.S government.
Both U.S. and Ghanaian officials commissioned one body scanner and nine explosives and narcotics trace detectors at the passenger checkpoint for outbound flights inside the KIA Terminal III.
At a ceremony to present the equipment on Tuesday, the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sullivan, said the gesture is to aid anti-terrorism and arms trafficking surveillance in Ghana. It falls within the Antiterrorism Assistance Programne of the US.
“The airport security training and equipment programme underscores the robust security cooperation between the United States and Ghana,” she said.
Investment
The Minister of Transport, Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, disclosed that the government is investing heavily in screening and security surveillance to ensure the Kotoka International Airport remains the safest in the Sub-region.
“The equipment will also assist to erase all aviation link vulnerabilities and ease the pressure by ensuring that security personnel can safely and efficiently detect whether passengers and staff are transporting unwanted objects into the boarding gate area. It will also replace physical hand searches as well,” he said.
Present at the ceremony were the Chief Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Ambassador Martha Pobee, the Director-General of Ghana Civil Aviation Authority Charles Kraikue, and Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited Yaw Kwakwa.
The Antiterrorism Assistance Programme is the US government’s premier counterterrorism training and equipment for foreign law enforcement agencies.
Established in 1983, the U.S. Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) Programme is the U.S. Government’s premier counterterrorism training and equipment provider for foreign law enforcement agencies.
The programme receives funding and policy guidance from the Bureau of Counterrorism and is administered by the Bureau of Diplomatic Security’s Training Directorate.
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