The President, in consultation with the Council of State and the Ministry of Transport has appointed Ghana’s Representative to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Ing. Simon Christopher Allotey, as the new Director- General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, effective October 1, 2015.
Aside being Ghana’s representative at the ICAO, he previously served as chairman of the ICAO’s Communications Navigation Surveillance Sub-Group for the Africa Region. He was also one of two Africans to be appointed to the ICAO’s Air Navigation Commission in 2011.
Prior to his appointment, Mr Allotey had previously served on the ICAO Council in 2009 and as the Ag. Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation from 2006-2009.
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Henley Management College, UK and BSc (Hons) in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi.
Mr Allotey has over 33 years post-qualification experience in engineering systems design, aeronautical telecommunications, maintenance and corporate management.
He brings to the job, unique and diverse technical and managerial skills through challenging job schedules in the mining industry, crude oil refinery and in the aviation industry, where he has more than 19 years of experience.
He began his aviation career in 1996 as a Deputy Director of Engineering and rose to become the Director of Engineering between 1999 and 2005; a period which saw massive improvement in the GCAA’s navigation, communication and surveillance systems, including the installation of voice communication, radar systems etc.
By dint of hard work and dedication to the industry, he was appointed acting Deputy Director-General (Technical) in 2005 with the responsibility of overseeing the technical division of the authority, including Air Traffic Service, Engineering, Safety Regulation and the Projects Department and also assisted the Director-General in the day-to-day administration of the authority.
Mr Allotey’s vast experience in the aviation industry, coupled with his excellent managerial skills and affable nature contributed to his appointment as Ag. Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation in 2006-2009, with additional responsibilities of overseeing the activities of the newly created Ghana Airport Company Ltd. in 2007.
Mr Allotey has also had stints with various companies in and outside the country, including Tema Oil Refinery, Ghana National Manganese Corporation, and Fernsprech and Signalbau GmbH in Germany, where he started his career as intern.
Source: Graphic