Montreal, Canada, 11 November 2018: Upon the invitation of the President of the Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the African Union Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy H.E. Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid led an African Union Commission (AUC) delegation to Montreal, Canada to address the 215th ICAO Council Session and mobilize support to fast track the operationalization of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).

The Commissioner’s special address during the Session, attended by all ICAO members of the Council, diplomats and aviation specialists, highlighted the economic impact of aviation sector in Africa, noting that aviation supports over eight million jobs and contributes over $75 billion to the continent’s Growth Domestic Product. With the projected population of Africa to double by 2050, to 2.5 billion, Africa is expected to become a global power in world aviation, with more than 300 million passengers.

The Commissioner briefed the Council members on the Commission’s initiatives under the AU Agenda 2063, focusing on the flagship projects including the establishment of the Single African Air Transport Market, the African Continental Free Trade Area, the African Passport, and the Protocol on the Free Movement of people and goods. “The year 2018 is the year of Africa’s feats in its integration agenda”, stressed Dr. Abou-Zeid.
expected to be flying by 2035, quoting from IATA forecast.

Following her address, and as an exception to the ICAO Council’s traditions, H.E. Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Ali, President of the ICAO Council and country representatives expressed their high appreciation to the AU comprehensive efforts, the dynamism and the determination to carry the African integration agenda. They expressed support to enhance cooperation with the African Union in the field of air transport and the effective implementation of SAATM.

Under the AUC-ICAO memorandum of cooperation and its action plan 2018-2019, and guided by the ICAO strategic objectives of No Country Left Behind initiative and the AU Agenda 2063, the Commissioner highlighted the potential areas of collaboration between the two institutions including enhancing aviation safety, aviation security and facilitation, air navigation capacity and efficiency, environmental protection, capacity building, technical assistance and advocacy for more African Member States to join the SAATM.

The AU Commissioner also conducted a wide range of high-level meetings and consultations with the President of the Council and the ICAO Secretary General and their teams focusing on promoting the African agenda in the aviation sector.

Furthermore, the AU Commissioner held an interactive meeting with African Members of the ICAO council (AFI Group). The effectiveness of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), as the specialized Agency of the AU, responsible for civil aviation matters in Africa was at the heart of the discussions. Initiatives led by AFI Group including the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa (AFI Plan), the draft aviation capacity building roadmap for Africa and the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa (AFI Plan) were discussed as important areas for future collaboration.

It is noteworthy to mention that the AUC plans to actively participate at the Air Transport forum conveyed in Georgetown, Guyana from 21 to 23 November 2018, to deliberate on enhancing air connectivity between Africa and the Diaspora. Also to the upcoming ICAO Air Services Negotiation Conference (ICAN2018) convened in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10 to 14 December 2018.

Note to the Editors

The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) was launched and established during the 30th Ordinary Summit of the African Union Assembly of Heads of States and Government summit held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 28/29 January 2018. To date, twenty seven (27) countries have committed to join the Single Africa Air Transport Market namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Capo Verde, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe with Lesotho, the latest country to join.

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): (https://www.icao.int), is a UN specialized agency, established by States in 1944 to manage the administration and governance of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention). Amongst other key functions, ICAO provides support to States in Africa, and around the world, through its No Country Left Behind initiative, the Global Plans it sets out for Aviation Safety, Air Navigation capacity and Efficiency, and most recently the Global Plan for Aviation Security. The ICAO council has thirty-six (36) members and Africa is represented by eight Member States, namely: Algeria, Cabo Verde, Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, , , , and the United Republic of Tanzania.

For further information contact
Directorate of Information and Communication | African Union Commission I E-mail: dic@africa-union.org I Web Site: www.au.int I Addis Ababa | Ethiopia

Esther Azaa Tankou / Head of Information Division / AUC / Tel: +251 911361185 /
E-mail: yamboue@africa-union.org

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