No more shoe and belt removal: How Ghana’s airport just left Nigeria in the dust

The deployment of state-of-the-art security screening technology at Accra’s Kotoka International Airport (ACC) has drawn a sharp contrast with Nigeria’s lagging terminal operations.

By introducing advanced 3D scanners and automatic tray systems, Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL) has officially eliminated the tedious ritual of passenger strip-downs at checkpoints, allowing travellers to keep their shoes, belts, laptops, and liquids firmly packed.

For frequent flyers in the sub-region, the message is clear: while Ghana has successfully digitized and streamlined its passenger experience, Nigeria’s premier gateways remain anchored in slow, manual, and repetitive security protocols.

This shift next door delivers a lesson to the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and its flagship hub, Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

Despite Lagos recording a historic 16.7 percent year-on-year capacity growth and cementing itself as a top-ten continental powerhouse, its physical infrastructure is choking under the weight of its own success.

While Accra moves toward a seamless future where technology handles threat detection, Nigerian travellers are still subjected to redundant, multi-agency physical searches and long terminal queues—proving that without urgent modern tech investment, Nigeria’s crown as the giant of African aviation is quickly slipping away to neighbors.

The new screening technology according to the Ghana airport will allow passengers to keep laptops and other large electronic devices in their cabin baggage during security checks.

They will also no longer be required to remove their shoes and belts unless selected for additional screening through security profiling.

Under the upgraded system, passengers can also keep liquids, aerosols and gels in their cabin baggage during screening, as separate screening of these items may no longer be necessary.

However, GACL stressed that existing aviation security regulations remain in force, with liquids exceeding 100 millilitres per container still prohibited in cabin baggage.

Stakeholders say this should serve as a lesson to Nigeria, especially Murtala Mohammed International airport, Lagos that who processes more passengers than Ghana airport.

They say the deployment of these equipment in Lagos would make passenger movement and facilitation seamless and more coordinated.

The upgrade at Ghana airport also includes the installation of an Automatic Tray Return System, which is expected to speed up the screening process by returning trays more quickly to passengers for the repacking of their belongings.

GACL further disclosed that, the transition to the new screening system will be carried out in phases alongside the existing security equipment and procedures to ensure smooth operations.

In a statement, the company appealed to passengers and other stakeholders to cooperate with airport officials as the new security screening equipment is progressively introduced in the coming days.