Africa’s Air Transport Ministers, Leaders Highlight Requirements For Intra-African Connectivity
Ministers in charge of air transport in Africa, industry financiers and other stakeholders have been speaking on requirements for connecting cities within Africa effectively.
The Minister of Transport in Liberia, Mr. Sirleaf Tyler said in a panel session on Accelerating The Implementation of Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) that tourism cannot happen until we have inter-country visa system in Africa. There has to be a declaration from the African Union saying that we don’t need visas to go from one African country to the other.
“Our borders should not be borders that divide us but borders that unite us,” he said.
Delivering his input on the panel which held during the African Air Transport Convention & Expo held at Hotel2Fevrier, Lome Togo, Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation & Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) said there is need to get countries that are yet to sign up to SAATM implementation to do so.
“Secondly, we should begin to remove the toga of protectionism. Once airlines are designated by their countries to fly to fellow African countries, we need to open our doors to those carriers. We live by example. There is no African airline that has been designated to come to Nigeria that we have not granted access,” he said, citing difficulty in flight connection between Luanda and Zambia as a disadvantage of protectionism.
The Vice President of Afreximbank, Ms. Kanoyo Awani said airports infrastructure and aircraft are needed to achieve air connectivity in Africa.
“The average age of airplanes on commercial fleet in Africa is 16 to 17 years old. Airlines need access to modern fleet and ability to pay lease rentals,” she said, adding that “apart from financing needs, there is need to prepare projects in a way that they are bankable. She also said the challenge of corporate governance and the quality of staff should be addressed to attract financing of such projects.
Angola’s Minister of Transport, Mr. Ricardo Vegas D’Abreu noted the importance of proper feasibility studies before signing agreements.
“Sometimes, when we sign agreements, when we go to feasibility, we discover a gap in financing them,” he said, stating that those who have already signed up to SAATM should proceed with implementation of what they signed.
The Chief Executive Officer of ASKY, Mr. Esayas Woldemariam Hailu called for a framework to standardize and regularize taxes, fees and charges in Africa, stating that taxes paid at African airports are higher than taxes on tobacco and alcohol.
“Ministers need to change this within the next one year to enable intra-connectivity,” he said.
Making a case for fifth freedom rights to enable connectivity, Hailu said “if fifth freedom is signed between three countries, connectivity will increase for airlines without having to change aircraft.”
The Secretary General of African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Mrs Adefunke Adeyemi called for removal of cost related difficulties in securing approvals to enter neighbouring countries.
“Approvals are not necessarily a money making venture,” she said.
The Secretary General of African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Mr. Abderahmane Berthe called for harmonization in policy and regulation and removal of constraints involved therein.
The Chief Executive Officer of Airlines Association of Southern Africa (AASA), Mr. Aaron Munetsi charged ministers present to ensure transparency in their government’s processes of approvals, policies and market access requirements.
The Director General of ASECNA, Mr. Prosper Zo’o Minto’o said his organization which covers 18 airspaces in Africa can help to get more routes in the air but would need infrastructure that will enable provision of safe air navigation services.
He said ASECNA has more constraints due to increase in traffic and is looking to get 400 million CFA to equip and modernize all infrastructure that will deal with capacity and security, enhance efficiency in the airspace management and help airlines save more fuel.
AFCAC’s SAATM Ambassador in West Africa and Chief Executive Officer of Overland Airways, Capt. Edward Boyo said “if we can open the skies, every other thing we desire will follow. If the people are integrated, our people will like it. The 38 countries that have signed need to move forward. When the others see progress, they will join. Open the airspace and free movement of goods and services will follow. We must not be afraid of our shadow in Africa.”
The event featured the Ministers’ endorsement of the Lome Declaration to connect Africa by air with timeline actions to be followed by a report presentation to African Heads of State in February 2027.
