Traffic growth forecasts crucial for Africa's aviation sector

As air connectivity is a crucial catalyst for local and global development, the realisation of traffic growth projections will provide significant contributions towards the sustainable development of aviation in Africa, notably in terms of the achievement of the African Union (AU) and the UN’s respective goals.

Reflecting this, ICAO has encouraged bilateral and multilateral co-operation in support of aviation development in recent years.

“Under our No Country Left Behind initiative, for example, and in close cooperation with appropriate State authorities, the African Union Commission (AUC), African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), IATA and other key industry stakeholders, ICAO provides distinct assistance and programmes to promote country-by-country ICAO compliance with the Standards And Recommended Practices (SARPs),” Kashambo explained.

“In addition to our global plans and assistance work, ICAO undertakes the implementation of regional and national capacity-building initiatives and pursues these directly with African governments to address both known and emerging challenges to the safety, security and efficiency of air transport operations.”

“While many African States have now established effective safety and security oversight capacities in their territories, and no fatal accidents were recorded in either 2016 or 2017 here in Africa, ICAO audits of government oversight in these areas continue to reveal that a number of States are faced with challenges when it comes to assuring their ICAO compliance,” Kashambo highlighted.

In addition to cooperation through multilateral bodies, ICAO also encouraged delegates to take note of the importance of the regional coordination mechanisms which permit groups of States to pool and share their resources to prepare for growth.