GCAA, JARUS partner to strengthen drone safety, regulation
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has partnered with the Joint Authorities for Rulemaking on Unmanned Systems (JARUS) to strengthen the safe, secure and orderly operation of unmanned aircraft systems (drones) in Ghana and across jurisdictions.
The collaboration seeks to harmonise regulatory standards, share technical expertise and build regulators’ capacity to keep pace with the rapid growth of the unmanned aviation industry.
Speaking at the 2026 JARUS Plenary meeting in Accra, the Director-General of the GCAA, Rev. Stephen W. Arthur, said remotely piloted aircraft systems presented both opportunities and challenges for regulators and stakeholders.
He said the GCAA had adopted a risk-based approach to airspace regulation and was strengthening its performance and risk-based surveillance system to ensure effective oversight as drone operations expanded.
Rev. Arthur said the Authority had also developed a National Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) Concept of Operations and was pursuing digital solutions to make drone registration, licence renewal, importation and clearance more efficient.
He noted that drone technology had demonstrated benefits in medical logistics, agriculture, environmental monitoring, mining, surveying, mapping and infrastructure inspection.
The Director-General called for greater international cooperation, saying harmonised standards, regulatory collaboration and experience-sharing were essential for safe and interoperable unmanned aviation operations.
The Chairman of JARUS, Mr Falk Gotten, called for stable and predictable regulatory frameworks to support the safe growth of the global drone industry.
He said frequent regulatory changes could undermine operational predictability and impose unnecessary burdens on industry and regulators.
Mr Gotten said JARUS products had been adopted by about 50 countries, including its Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) framework, airworthiness standards and operational safety objectives.
The Acting Deputy Director-General of the GCAA, Mr Gordon Nuurbaare, reaffirmed the Authority’s commitment to strengthening safety oversight and developing UTM systems.
He called for stronger collaboration in training, capacity building, certification and access to international standards to support Ghana’s growing drone ecosystem.
BY EUGENE AMPIAW
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