Ghana Meteorological Agency meets ISO international standards

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMA) has been certified with the ISO9001: 2015 by the Certification Group in the United Kingdom (UK), making it the best weather forecast institution in West Africa.

Being recognised officially with ISO9001: 2015 means that the GMA’s systems have been independently and impartially assessed and audited and met the defined requirements of ISO international Standards.

ISO Standards are recognised internationally and are used as a respected and trusted bench mark for standardising services, processes, regulations and productions all over the world.

At a media briefing in Accra, the Lead Auditor from the UK Certification Group’s International Register, Mr Dean Moriarty, said the recognition would allow the operations of the GMA to be accepted internationally.

Two-weeks exercise

He said the group from the UK undertook two weeks of intensive auditing and quality management exercises and went through documents, reports and also examined other materials of the GMA in accordance with international standards.

In addition, Mr Moriarty said a series of surveys were conducted including checks and interviews with the general public which confirmed that the GMA followed the due processes of ISO9001: 2015 standards.

"We have followed the way the GMA operates and have seen the internationally standardised equipment they use and the promptness with which they report and the positive responses we received from clients including the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority show that the agency is doing a good job,” he said.

The Director-General of the Ghana Metrological Agency, Dr Michael Tanu, expressed his appreciation on behalf of the GMA to the UK Certification Group for the recognition.

He said the GMA was committed to carrying on with the good work and expressed the hope to improve on areas the agency was deficient in.

Dr Tanu added that the GMA had the mission to making Ghana the aviation hub in West Africa.

"We will continue to provide accurate and timely forecast for aircrafts flying into the country,” he said.