Ghana: Press spotlights Ghana Airports collaboration with ITA Airways for direct flights, others

The report that the ITA Airways, an European carrier is set to commence commercial flight operations to the capital of Ghana, Accra is one of the leading stories in the Ghanaian press on Tuesday.
The Graphic reports that ITA Airways, an European carrier is set to commence commercial flight operations to the capital of Ghana, Accra.
This follows approvals from the Ministry of Transport and the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, the regulator of the aviation industry.
The airline is expected to operate a four times weekly direct flight from Rome, Italy to Accra with flight schedules to be published soon.
Reacting to the news of final approval and subsequent launch, the Managing Director of Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, expressed excitement about the new airline whose entry adds to the diverse portfolio of airlines arriving and departing from the Kotoka International Airport (KIA).
‘’We look forward to ITA Airways’ inaugural flight on June 6, 2024, just in time for the summer peak travel season,’’ she said.
She further assured of GACL’s readiness to facilitate operations and processes in working collaboratively with all agencies at the airport together with ITA Airways to give passengers a smooth travel experience through Kotoka International Airport.
ITA Airway’s entry into the Ghanaian aviation industry will offer passengers more flight options and increased connectivity.
ITA becomes the 24th international airline to operate into Accra.
The newspaper says that the High Court in Accra has thrown out an application seeking to compel the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to act on the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill within seven days.
In a ruling Monday [April 29, 2024], the court, presided over by Justice Ellen Lordina Serwaa Mireku, said although it had the discretion to grant the mandamus application, it was inappropriate to compel the respondents since there were two cases pending at the Supreme Court challenging the breach of the Constitution on the passage of the bill.
The application was filed by a Member of Parliament for South-Dayi Constituency, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, on March 22, 2024.
In court yesterday, his lawyer, Nii Kpakpo Samoa Addo, argued that the crux of the application was for the court to compel the President to receive the bill, adding: “We have come to court for a mandamus for the Speaker of Parliament to send the bill to the President”.
The Chief State Attorney, Sylvia Adesu, on the other hand, said the action was premature for the Court to interfere with matters between Parliament and the Presidency when the bill had not even been assented to.
In his application at the High Court, Dafeamekpor had prayed the High Court to compel the Speaker of Parliament to submit the Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill to the President within seven days.
The Graphic also reports that a United States Army Major, Kojo Owusu Dartey, has been found guilty by a federal jury on multiple charges related to smuggling firearms to Ghana concealed within blue barrels of rice and household goods.
The 42-year-old officer, currently stationed at Fort Liberty, faces a maximum sentence of 240 months, scheduled to be pronounced on July 23, 2024.
The conviction follows a joint effort between US law enforcement agencies and Ghanaian authorities, shedding light on an international arms trafficking operation. Dartey was charged with dealing in firearms without a license, delivering firearms without notice to the carrier, smuggling goods from the US, illegally exporting firearms without a license, making false statements to a US agency, making false declarations before the court, and conspiracy.
US Attorney Michael Easley expressed gratitude for the collaboration with Ghanaian officials, highlighting the role of the Ghana Revenue Authority and the International Cooperation Unit Office of the Attorney-General of Ghana in the investigation. He also acknowledged the support of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) attachés in Accra, and the US Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.
Toni M. Crosby, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Baltimore Field Division, emphasized the impact of firearms trafficking on public safety and commended the joint investigation that prevented firearms from reaching criminal hands.
Court records and trial evidence revealed that between June 28 and July 2, 2021, Dartey acquired seven firearms in Fort Liberty and directed a US Army Staff Sergeant at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to purchase three firearms for him. These firearms, including handguns, an AR15, 50-round magazines, suppressors, and a combat shotgun, were concealed in blue barrels along with rice and household items and shipped from the Port of Baltimore to the Port of Tema in Ghana.
The Ghana Revenue Authority recovered the firearms and reported the seizure to the DEA attaché in Ghana and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Baltimore Field Division.
The Chronicle says that a lecturer at the department of Physics at the University of Cape Coast, Dr Patrick Essien, has said that the world is rapidly evolving where solutions to multifaceted challenges demand innovation and critical thinking.
In view of this, he said, there should be deliberate efforts to ensure that the educational landscape would be streamlined to become the beacon that would guide and shape the country towards a brighter future.
This, he explained, has become necessary due to the fact that the traditional approach to education, where students arguably concentrated largely on how to memorise facts did not suffice any longer, as far as modern drifts were concerned.
Dr Essien has, therefore, called for a paradigm shift that would overhaul the current “chew and pour” educational system and equip students to be able to evaluate, be more analytical and be creative as well.
The Physics lecturer made this known when he delivered an inspiring speech during the grand finale of the 2024 edition of the Maths and Science Quiz competition organised by the Boys and Girls Club of Ghana, Anomabo, in partnership with WFYC.
Speaking on the theme: “Promoting Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving Skills At The Basic Schools; The Role Of Stem Education”, Dr Essien called for education system that would champion critical thinking and problem-solving skills through the lens of STEM education.
He noted that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education were at the heart in the country’s quest to produce future leaders who would be critical, analytical and be able to do proper evaluation of variables.
He said STEM “was not merely a collection of subjects; it is a mind-set, a way of approaching the world with curiosity, inquiry, and a commitment to problem-solving.It empowers students to ask questions, to experiment, to fail and try again, fostering resilience and adaptability – the very traits needed to thrive in an ever-changing landscape”.
He added that STEM education was responsible for the cultivation of critical thinking skills, which encourages students to question, challenge assumptions and seek evidence. These skills, he added, were not only indispensable in the realm of academia, but in all facets of life, as it enabled students to cultivate a spirit of innovation and creativity.
GIK/APA