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 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.
Group CEO for SKT Aero Shutter, Mr Francis Owusu, said that his dream is to promote innovation in Africa using drones. He said that the company has received the license to operate drones in the country and looks forward to attracting Ghanaians especially the youth.
The company, which has partners in Europe and Asia, will also commence manufacturing locally to provide jobs and training for the youth as well as offer operational and after sales services.
He urged Ghanaians to look at the immerse benefits that come with owning and using drones and not the cost involved in acquiring them. Mr Owusu said that the company also plans to establish an academy to train certified drone pilots.
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.
They come with integrated tracking systems for use by aviation and security agencies.
The drone line up include the Electrical Fixed V-Tour (EFV) 18, EFV 24, EFV 25 and the Delta Quad Pro built to land vertically in areas that have little space, travel with great speed ranging from 60 minutes to 90 minutes and have compartments for cameras to aid in mapping and long range inspection.
They also displayed the agriculture drones that will aid in spraying and monitoring crops over large areas. They include the ERA 10, ERA 25 and Enera 10 with flight times ranging from 8 to 12 minutes.