Mining-focused drone data service company gets Ghana licence

Mining-focused drone data service company gets Ghana licence

Drone data service provider Rocketmine has received the first commercial remotely piloted aircraft system operating certificate (ROC) in Ghana.

According to the company, this marks the first time a company has been granted such a licence in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

Rocketmine is a subsidiary of France-based Delta Drone Group.

With the support and guidance of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Rocketmine initiated the process of applying for a ROC in April. The application for the ROC also involved the licensing of its local operations staff, who have now also become the first licensed commercial drone pilots in the country.

Rocketmine provides daily survey, volumetric and mapping services to mining operations across Africa. The company decided to expand its operations into Ghana in April to take advantage of the stabilising mining industry.

Rocketmine country manager Kwamena Hazel saysRocketmine is “thrilled to share the exciting news that our pilots are Ghana’s first licensed drone operators.” They received their RPLs at the beginning of September.

Rocketmine MD Christopher Clark adds that in the best interest of safety, as well as compliance with the GCAA Part 28 regulations, Rocketmine can now legally provide commercial drone data services to all enterprise customers across Ghana. “We look forward to contributing towards a growing Ghanaian aviation industry, where the number of local drone registrations far exceed manned aircraft.” This will create an “exciting opportunity” for the scope and scale of drone applications in the country.