The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has organized a sensitization workshop outlying the penalty for operating drones in unapproved areas without certification.
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According to the Director General of the GCAA, Simon Allotey, a new directive will soon be issued on the requirements for the registration and use of drones in Ghana adding reckless use of drones could attract 5 to 30 years imprisonment.
“You could be convicted up to a 30 year jail term. Let say an RPAS just takes off without appropriate permit, authorization, and communication traffic control and flies into an aircraft on the approach path, resulting in a crash†he said.
Although the GCAA has the Ghana Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 2011, L.I. 2000 to regulate the sector recent advancement means there is need for a supplementary provision to ensure safety in the operation of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS).
Mr. Allotey further added “there are several enforcement actions including withdrawal of permit to fly the drone. You could also be fined depending on the severity of the breach in the regulation. If you are a big operator, the certificate could be revoked.â€
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