Ghana Meteorological Agency threatens to withdraw services

Accra, Dec. 16, GNA - The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) is threatening to withdraw its services, if half of the amount Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the Ghana Airport Company (GACL) owed the company is not paid on or before December 18.

A press release issued by Mr Kafui Quashigah and Pana Nii Clegg, Divisional Chairman and Secretary respectively of the Public Services Workers Union, said a payment schedule for regular payments of the fees should be provided by the two organisations.

GCAA owed the GMet 907,289.94 dollars while Ghana Airport Company owed 836,172.62 dollars.

Giving a background to the debt owed by the two institutions, GMet said it had been mandated by Act 682 of 2004 to collect fees from end users to support weather services in the country.

It said GCAA had refused to pay to them on regular basis, 10 per cent of the landing fee collected from airline operators that used Ghana's air space and the total amount owed GMet since 2006 is 1,238,659.02 dollars.

It said the total amount paid by GCAA to GMet from June 2008 to June 2009 amounted to 331,369.08 dollars, leaving an outstanding amount of 907,289.94 dollars.

It said GACL had refused to pay 836,172.62 dollars owed GMet from 2007 to date.

The press release added that the refusal of the two organisations to pay the fees, which had already been collected from the airline providers "is causing harm to GMet."

GNA