December in GH: Airport Company begins crackdown on extortion

The Ghana Airport Company Limited (GACL) has begun a crackdown on acts of extortion of airline passengers by workers at the Kotoka International Airport ahead of the “December in GH” activities.

Players in the tourism sector have explained severally that these acts of extortion are a dint on Ghana’s efforts at becoming a world-class tourist destination.

Akohene Mensah (RTD), the Director of Aviation Security at the Ghana Airport Company Limited in which two airport workers (names withheld) have been investigated for engaging in alleged acts of extortion and subsequently, removed from their duty post after their acts of extortion were established.

The two officers, one a contract staff of the Customs Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the other, a Kotoka International Airport (KIA) staff, were captured on CCTV footage extorting varied sums, both local and foreign currencies from passengers.

Investigations conducted by security officials at the GACL based on complaints of two passengers, according to the letters, confirmed the guilt of the two airport workers and led to their permanent removal from post.

“Extortion is unacceptable by the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) standards and tarnishes the image of the airport

AVSEC has retrieved the airport ID cards of the officers and they will not be permitted to work at any of the airports manned by GACL in Ghana,” the letters read.