Bright Simons, Vice-President of think tank Imani Africa, has welcomed the government’s decision to establish an independent investigative board into the recent Z-9 helicopter crash but cautioned against any attempt to compromise the autonomy of Ghana’s Accident Investigation and Prevention Bureau (AIB).
In a series of comments on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Simons commended Acting Defence Minister and Finance Minister Dr Cassiel Ato Forson for “disregarding self-serving advice for the military to investigate itself in the tragic helicopter crash matter.”
He also praised the interagency nature of the inquiry, noting: “Good to see that the Minister has clearly paid close attention to the national institutional setup and included the civilian Accident Investigations & Prevention Bureau (AIB) in the formal board of inquiry. Good to see the interagency makeup of the investigation and the integrative role of national security.”
However, he expressed unease at what he described as suggestions that the AIB was still part of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). “It shouldn’t be,” he stressed.
Mr Simons explained that while the Bureau was originally a unit of the GCAA when it was set up in 2019, subsequent International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audits led to reforms. “ICAO came to inspect Ghana’s Search & Rescue protocols and advised that AIB’s autonomy be enhanced… So, the country passed a new law, Act 1028, which made AIB autonomous,” he noted.
He warned against any “quiet kidnap of AIB by GCAA without serious consultations”, emphasising that the aviation sector had sufficient resources to support the Bureau’s independence.
While acknowledging that ICAO later rated Ghana’s Search & Rescue framework highly on paper, Mr Simons said, “We now know that there are major cracks in reality,” and urged the investigative board to “dig deep and come up with ways to bring the paper to life.”
The investigative board, chaired by the National Security Coordinator with support from the Ghana Air Force and the AIB, has been tasked to complete its work within 30 days. The United States Air Force is also providing technical assistance.
