The Ghana Meteorological Agency has taken its fight with the Civil Aviation Authority and the Ghana Airport Company over an unpaid USD $10 million debt related to COP29 in Azerbaijan.
The Ghana Airport Company and Civil Aviation Authority are mandated by the amended Ghana Meteorological Agency Act of 2019 (Act 1002) to allocate a specific percentage of charges to be used as sources of revenue for the National Meteorological Fund and for related purposes.
Speaking in an interview with Adom News at COP29 in Azerbaijan, during a side event organized by the Jospong Group of Companies, the Director-General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency, Dr. Eric Asuman, stated that although the Agency’s Act 682 of 2004 required the Ghana Airport Company and the Civil Aviation Authority to pay a portion of airport taxes to the Agency, it did not specify the exact amount to be paid by these two institutions.
However, the Amended Act 1002 of 2019 clearly states that the Civil Aviation Authority is mandated to pay 10% of air route fees and 10% of landing fees for every aircraft that lands at the country’s airports and uses the air route.
The Ghana Airport Company is required to pay 5% of each of these taxes to the Agency to establish a National Meteorological Fund and for other related purposes.
Dr. Eric Asuman explained that while the Ghana Airport Company has started paying its dues, except for arrears, which make up 30% of the USD $10 million debt, the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority has consistently failed to settle its portion of the debt.
According to him, several correspondences to the authority requesting payment of their share of the USD $10 million debt have yielded no results.
He further explained that the Agency wrote to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) office in Geneva, Switzerland, requesting payment from the accounts of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority. IATA agreed to make the payment, provided that the Civil Aviation Authority issued an authorization note.
However, to date, the Civil Aviation Authority has not issued this authorization to IATA to pay what is due.
The Director-General said, “If the Civil Aviation Authority and Ghana Airport Company pay the USD $10 million, they would be in a better financial position to wean themselves off government subventions and be able to pay their workers’ remuneration without depending on the Government of Ghana.”
He described the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority’s stance as an impediment to the forward movement of the Meteorological Agency. He added that the matter had even been brought to the attention of Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, and the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament had directed the Civil Aviation Authority to fulfill its financial obligations to the Agency, but they have refused to do so.
He called on Ghanaians and all stakeholders in the industry to urge the Civil Aviation Authority to pay the money owed to the Agency to enable it to function properly.