Ghana's Airspace Management: Securing the Security-Development Nexus Amid Fragmentation and Emerging Threats.
1
Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana
2
National College of Defence Studies, Ghana
3
Airforce, Ghana Armed Forces, Ghana
These authors had equal contribution to this work
Submission date: 2026-04-13
Final revision date: 2026-05-14
Acceptance date: 2026-05-23
Online publication date: 2026-06-09
Publication date: 2026-06-09
Przegląd Nauk o Obronności 2025;(22):89-106
KEYWORDS
airspace governancesecurity-development nexussystems theorycivil-military integrationSingle African Air Transport Market
ABSTRACT
Objectives:
The paper analyses Ghana’s institutional and regulatory frameworks for airspace management, with particular attention to civil–military interfaces; it assesses how these arrangements influence national security resilience and the broader security–development nexus
Methods:
Drawing on interpretivist case study methodology, it analyses institutional architecture, regulatory frameworks, inter-agency coordination, threat landscapes, and developmental linkages through integrated theoretical lenses: security-development nexus, complex interdependence, systems theory, realism, and SMART governance
Results:
Key findings highlight bifurcated governance—Ghana Civil Aviation Authority excelling in safety (89.89% ICAO Effective Implementation) yet siloed from Ghana Air Force defence—yielding coordination delays (40-90 minutes), surveillance gaps (40% northern Flight Information Region), and 40% drone compliance. Asymmetric threats proliferate: 45 regional UAV incidents, 12 cyber attempts, 18 trafficking flights, exemplified by Kotoka International Airport abandonments and the 2025 Z-9 crash exposing Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System failures. These erode aviation's 4.1% GDP contribution, 120,000 jobs, and Single African Air Transport Market aspirations amid Sahel spillovers. Comparisons with Nigeria's National Airspace Management Committee (80% Performance-Based Navigation) and South Africa's integrated model (98% surveillance) underscore reform imperatives.
Conclusions:
The study concludes that policy voids absent National Airspace Security Policy and technological deficits sever the security-development nexus, forfeiting $5 billion continental gains. Ten prioritized recommendations advocate a statutory Unified Airspace Management Authority, National Airspace Security Policy enactment, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast rollout, AI-fused Multi-Agency Command Centre, and regional Air Defence Identification Zone harmonization—projecting 2% GDP uplift by 2030. This analysis offers policymakers a roadmap for resilient, integrated airspace governance, advancing Ghana's regional aviation leadership and Agenda 2063 integration.
The paper analyses Ghana’s institutional and regulatory frameworks for airspace management, with particular attention to civil–military interfaces; it assesses how these arrangements influence national security resilience and the broader security–development nexus
Methods:
Drawing on interpretivist case study methodology, it analyses institutional architecture, regulatory frameworks, inter-agency coordination, threat landscapes, and developmental linkages through integrated theoretical lenses: security-development nexus, complex interdependence, systems theory, realism, and SMART governance
Results:
Key findings highlight bifurcated governance—Ghana Civil Aviation Authority excelling in safety (89.89% ICAO Effective Implementation) yet siloed from Ghana Air Force defence—yielding coordination delays (40-90 minutes), surveillance gaps (40% northern Flight Information Region), and 40% drone compliance. Asymmetric threats proliferate: 45 regional UAV incidents, 12 cyber attempts, 18 trafficking flights, exemplified by Kotoka International Airport abandonments and the 2025 Z-9 crash exposing Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System failures. These erode aviation's 4.1% GDP contribution, 120,000 jobs, and Single African Air Transport Market aspirations amid Sahel spillovers. Comparisons with Nigeria's National Airspace Management Committee (80% Performance-Based Navigation) and South Africa's integrated model (98% surveillance) underscore reform imperatives.
Conclusions:
The study concludes that policy voids absent National Airspace Security Policy and technological deficits sever the security-development nexus, forfeiting $5 billion continental gains. Ten prioritized recommendations advocate a statutory Unified Airspace Management Authority, National Airspace Security Policy enactment, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast rollout, AI-fused Multi-Agency Command Centre, and regional Air Defence Identification Zone harmonization—projecting 2% GDP uplift by 2030. This analysis offers policymakers a roadmap for resilient, integrated airspace governance, advancing Ghana's regional aviation leadership and Agenda 2063 integration.
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| eISSN: | 2719-6763 |
| ISSN: | 2450-6869 |
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