AM EDITORIAL: SAATM Implementation, Visa Restrictions And Intra-Africa Air Travel
Over the years, air transport in Africa has been synonymous with poor connectivity, protectionism, high costs, taxes, charges and fees, non-physical barriers amongst many other challenges. As part of efforts to improve connectivity, African Union leaders came up with an initiative to improve the continent’s connectivity and integration through liberalization of air services in Africa, removal of restrictions on traffic rights, capacity, frequency and tariffs between African city pairs for all African airlines.
The Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) was signed 35 years ago. Implementation was slow. So, the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) was launched on January 28, 2018 as a flagship project of the AU’s Agenda 2063.
As at November 2023, 20 SAATM member states had committed to embracing full implementation of YD/SAATM. African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) had on November 14, 2022, come up with an initiative of SAATM Pilot Implementation Project (SAATM-PIP), targeting increased 5th Freedom Traffic Operations across Africa from 14.5% to 30% by 2025.
A critical aspect of easing SAATM implementation is the issue of visa restrictions within Africa. Travelling by air from Africa to Europe could be easier than travelling from West Africa to South or North Africa because of visa issues. Secretary General of AFCAC, Ms. Adefunke Adeyemi says successful achievement of SAATM will require the active involvement of all stakeholders.
Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) has always emphasized the fact that the Ministries of Air Transport in Africa cannot achieve this removal of visa restrictions alone without liaising with the Foreign or External Affairs Ministries in Africa, since discussions on visas with their Presidents and parliaments constitute part of their responsibilities.
From the 2024 first half-year survey conducted by African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the lack of political goodwill and reciprocity are the biggest hindrances to full SAATM implementation. The survey has also identified some taxes and charges that increase operational costs and AFRAA says it intends to undertake coordinated measures with AFCAC to facilitate the grant of freedoms.
A number of countries deserve applause for moves they are making in the direction of removal of visa restrictions. Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, plan to introduce a single tourist visa, similar to the Schengen visa, allowing entry to all five countries for a short period. Zambia and Zimbabwe have already started implementation and have the “UniVisa” for entry to both countries and short stays in Botswana.
Nigeria is launching a new e-visa system with electronic gates at major airports to streamline visa applications as per Nigeria Visa Policy 2020. Togo and São Tomé and Príncipe have signed an agreement for visa-free travel between their citizens, aiming to enhance movement and connectivity between the two West African nations.
On the contrary, Namibia has proposed to remove visa-free entry for citizens of 31 countries, a move AFRAA says is expected to have a negative impact on tourism, business travel, and economic growth.
In two separate studies undertaken by Airbus and Boeing on unserved air routes and the biggest hindrance to interconnectivity on the African Continent, respectively, it identified restrictive bilateral agreements, airline capacity challenges and high operating costs as part of factors that need to be addressed to ensure interconnectivity on the African Continent.
After 35 years of a lot of talk about air travel connectivity and liberation of Africa’s air transport sector, the time has come for concrete actions towards implementation of enabling policies and resolutions piloted by African governments. Majorly, political will on the part of African governments, is what it will take to achieve air transport liberalization in Africa. AM
