FlightCom – July 2019

FlightCom Magazine 30

The key impetus is for Africa’s
institutions such as the AUC, African
Regional Economic Communities (RECs),
the AFCAC, the NPCA, the AfDB,
private sector, international partners and
other stakeholders to take concrete action
to redefine cooperation, infrastructure,
destination and management strategy. This
involves the institutionalisation of the Single
African Air Transport Market (SAATM) at
the State level by developing the necessary
domestic legal and regulatory framework to
fully implement it. It also involves aligning
and integrating major aviation and tourism
infrastructure projects with national and/or
regional development plans and budgets.
Regarding the new ICAO-UNWTO-led
cooperation, Dr Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu,
ICAO Council President, remarked: “I am
sure that through the continued cooperation
of ICAO, the UNWTO, the African Union,
and all of our diverse development partners
and member States, the required technical
expertise, resources, and support to
implement the outcome of this conference
will be fully assured.”
The UNWTO Secretary-General,
Zurab Pololikashvili, is optimistic about the
joint efforts to boost aviation and tourism.
He stated that “the results of the UNWTO
Visa Openness Report 2019 for Africa
very encouraging and will support African
destinations with evidence-based policy
making and helping prioritise activities
within their facilitation policies.”
Charles Romel Banda, Minister
of Tourism, Zambia, and chair of the
UNWTO Executive Council, said that
“Tourism and transport policies should be
harmonised and integrated in our respective
countries and at the regional level, if we
are to fulfil our expectations of increased
arrivals and earnings. It is important that
all of us political leaders that attended
this conference commit ourselves to the
full implementation of the Cabo Verde
Ministerial Declaration on Air Transport
and Tourism Development in Africa in
accordance with the plan of action 2019-
2021 that we have just approved.”
In the Declaration, the Ministers also
agreed to “raise political willingness to the
highest level to mainstream the priorities of
the two sectors in the national, regional and
global development agendas.” In particular,
this would address the poor understanding

of aviation at the highest level of government

decision-makers, and engender stronger

political support to aviation nay tourism

development.

AFCAC as the executing agency of

the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) and the

SAATM, is embarking or drives to educate

governments and African airlines on the

guiding rules and benefits of implementing

the SAATM. Peter Amaleboba, Legal

Adviser of AFCAC, emphasised the

essence of SAATM to the successful

implementation of tourism and air transport

development strategies, just as Mr. Tefera

Mekonen, Secretary General of AFCAC,

urged all African States to commit to full

implementation of SAATM.

INFRASTRUCTURE – THE EGYPT

DECLARATION

On the heels of the landmark

Declaration in Cape Verde, another high

level meeting took place in Cairo under

the auspices of AU Ministers, aimed at

bolstering Africa’s air transport, tourism

and energy infrastructure, with the theme,

“Developing SMART Infrastructure to

boost Africa’s Continental Transformation

and Integration.”

According to the AU, Ministers

from 39 African countries confirmed

their commitment to consider strategies

for developing smart infrastructure to

boost Africa’s continental transformation

and integration, by adopting the Egypt

Declaration and Action Plans for the

Transport, Energy and Tourism sectors.

These events will give new impetus

to renewed efforts to create bespoke joint

strategies for air transport and tourism

development in Africa. This will ride on the

back of sustained growth and projections

for growth in the two sectors over the next

two decades.

GROWTH TRENDS

While several economies in Africa

have some of the highest growth rates in

the world reaching about 8%, Africa’s

economic growth is put at about 4-5%. The

39 African countries

confirmed their

commitment to smart

infrastructure.

Passengers at check-in at Murtala Mohammed airport Nigeria.