Airport workers urge government not to delay in appointment of new GACL MD

Yaw Kwakwa sacked as GACL Managing Director

Transport Minister denies knowledge of signing termination letter

Airport workers want thorough engagement on transition process

Workers of the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), have urged government not to delay in its announcement of a substantive Managing Director of the institution.

This comes after the appointment of Yaw Kwakwa who was Managing Director of the company was relieved from his post.

Deputy General Secretary of the Public Service Workers Union under the Trades Union Congress, John Sampa says workers of the company and stakeholders must be thoroughly engaged in the transition process.

“When it comes to top management level like the Chief Executive level its government’s sole prerogative to appoint and dismiss. Therefore, as a workers group, our interest is that whoever is appointed by the President to execute the mandate of the organization will take cognizance of all relevant stakeholders including the workers’ group where I lead,” he is quoted by Citi Business News.

“On the early appointment of a new head, it is extremely important because GACL is a very huge institution, with international links, so any delay in appointing a substantive head to efficiently manage the company will affect the image of the company. Nevertheless, we are optimistic that from the information we have from the board they are putting a transition team in place and very soon they will announce the new arrangements for the company,” he added.

In a press release sighted by GhanaWeb on Wednesday, Yaw Kwakwa’s appointment as GACL Managing Director was terminated.

"His Excellency the President of the Republic [Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo], per the letter No.OPS127/22/104 dated January 31, 2022 has directed that the appointment of Mr Yaw Kwakwa as the Managing Director of the Ghana Airports Company Limited be terminated,” portions of the release read.

“In this regard, kindly take the necessary steps to give effect to the directive,” it added.

Prior to this development, some staff and workers union of the Ghana Airport Company Limited have been calling for the removal of Yaw Kwakwa accusing him of mismanagement.

In 2020, staff of the company in a petition to President Akufo-Addo alleged that since his [Yaw Kwakwa] assumption of office two years ago, he has demonstrated “gross incompetence, insensitivity and lack of understanding of the critical aviation industry and therefore his continuous stay in office will further derail the progress of the company.”

The petitioners also stated that Yaw Kwakwa has deliberately refused to implement several reports lying on his desk for over two years and also accused him of outsourcing key aspects of the company’s operations at exorbitant cost, notwithstanding the availability of in-house capacity.

Also, the termination of Yaw Kwakwa's appointment comes weeks after McDan Aviation's private jet terminal was closed down by the Ghana Airport Company for breaching safety regulations.