Ghana GCAA: GMet Statutory Payment Arrears Threaten Aviation Safety

• The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) is experiencing a significant funding crisis due to alleged withheld statutory payments from the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).
• The GCAA's failure to remit funds, mandated by a 2019 amendment to the GMet Act, impacts GMet's ability to maintain critical equipment for essential aeronautical meteorological services.
• Despite an agreement in March 2026 for reconciliation and payment of arrears, estimated between GH¢22 million and GH¢59 million, the GCAA has not implemented the proposed nine-quarter installment plan.
• A proposed system for direct payments from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to GMet for its statutory share has been authorized by Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) but not by the GCAA.
• GMet warns that continued underfunding threatens its capacity to provide timely and reliable weather information, which is crucial for aviation safety in Ghana.

Without the meteorological information provided by GMet, aircraft cannot operate safely within the country's airspace.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) is currently grappling with a significant funding challenge, attributing its financial woes to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). GMet alleges that the GCAA has withheld millions of cedis in statutory payments, which are due for essential weather services provided to the nation's aviation sector. This ongoing dispute has prompted GMet's Director-General, Dr. Asuman, to voice concerns that the situation is severely impeding the agency's capacity to maintain and upgrade critical equipment necessary for delivering accurate weather information, which is paramount for the safety of aircraft, passengers, and crew.

Despite the GCAA's alleged failure to meet its statutory obligations, GMet continues to provide vital aeronautical meteorological services. Dr. Asuman emphasized that GMet supplies crucial data to air traffic controllers and pilots, covering weather conditions, visibility, wind direction and speed, forecasts, and other environmental factors indispensable for safe take-offs, landings, and flights within Ghana's airspace. He underscored that these services are fundamental to aviation safety, asserting that safe aircraft operations within the country's airspace would be impossible without the meteorological intelligence furnished by GMet.

The legal framework governing these payments stipulates that GMet is entitled to a specific share of aviation-related revenues. This includes 10 percent of landing charges, 10 percent of en-route or fly-over charges, and five percent of airport passenger service charges. This arrangement, which followed years of extensive negotiations between GMet and various aviation authorities, gained legal enforceability in 2019 when Parliament unanimously passed an amendment to the GMet Act. The presidential assent for this amendment was granted on September 27 of that year, solidifying GMet's right to these statutory payments.

However, the GCAA has reportedly resisted remitting GMet's statutory share, citing its own financial difficulties and competing investment priorities. The accumulated arrears remain subject to reconciliation, with GMet's internal calculations indicating an amount owed of approximately GH¢59 million, while the GCAA's estimate stands at about GH¢22 million. A meeting held in March 2026, involving Parliament's Committees on Communications and Transport, GMet, GCAA, and other stakeholders, resulted in an agreement to reconcile the accounts and settle the outstanding arrears. Subsequently, the GCAA proposed a payment plan for the reconciled amount, suggesting nine equal quarterly instalments. Despite this agreement, Dr. Asuman confirmed that the proposed payment plan has not been implemented.

Further complicating the financial landscape, the GCAA was also expected to instruct the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to initiate direct payments to GMet for its statutory component of aviation charges. This proposed arrangement would enable IATA to automatically separate GMet's share from the broader aviation charges collected on behalf of the industry. While the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has already authorized IATA to make these direct payments to GMet, the GCAA has not yet followed suit.

Dr. Asuman highlighted GMet's continuous operational commitment, noting that the agency provides weather information every 30 minutes, every hour, and during every significant weather event, despite the persistent payment challenges. He rejected the GCAA's argument that fulfilling its statutory payment obligations would cripple its operations, pointing out that the authority would still retain 90 percent of the relevant revenue even after remitting GMet's share.

The financial difficulties faced by GMet are particularly alarming given the substantial costs associated with maintaining and replacing meteorological infrastructure. Dr. Asuman provided examples, stating that weather radar systems can cost between US$2 million and US$3.5 million, while individual automatic weather stations are priced at approximately US$60,000 each. He warned that insufficient funding could ultimately compromise GMet's ability to sustain this critical infrastructure and, consequently, its capacity to provide timely and reliable weather information.

Without the meteorological information provided by GMet, aircraft cannot operate safely within the country's airspace. This potential degradation of services poses a direct threat to aviation safety in Ghana, underscoring the critical importance of resolving the GCAA GMet statutory payment arrears Ghana. The ongoing Ghana Meteorological Agency funding crisis and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority payment dispute highlight significant compliance risks and the urgent need for clear, enforceable inter-agency financial agreements within the Ghana aviation sector.

Lawyers and compliance officers should note the ongoing dispute regarding statutory payments mandated by the GMet Act amendment, highlighting potential compliance risks and the need for clear inter-agency financial agreements within Ghana's aviation sector. This situation could lead to legal challenges concerning the enforcement of statutory obligations and reconciliation of arrears.

Source: Original reporting via Ghanaian media