Eveline de Klerk
Swakopmund
African airlines carry less than a paltry three percent of global air traffic and have been advised to develop progressive policies and regulatory reforms that will stimulate growth on the continent’s aviation industry.
This is according to Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, chief executive officer of Nepad Agency, who was speaking at the official opening of the third edition of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) currently underway in Swakopmund.
PIDA was adopted in 2012 by African presidents as the continental strategic infrastructure framework for the African Union’s stakeholders and partners to address the infrastructure deficit, boost intra-regional and international trade, increase growth and create jobs on the continent.
Addressing the delegates during the opening ceremony, Mayaki said 80 percent of air traffic in Africa on African airlines currently only carries a fraction – less than 3 percent of the global air traffic carried by non-African airlines, despite the fact that the continent constitutes over 17 percent of the world’s population.
“This is indeed a clear indication that we in Africa need to prioritise and pay more attention to aviation and air transportation in Africa during the next phase of the PIDA priority Action plan,” he said.
He added that Africa needs to increase participation in the global market by designing national and regional aviation master plans, to address existing disparities within the aviation sector.
According to Mayaki, most African countries have developed sectoral master plans in key areas such as agriculture, transport, education and water, but paid less attention to the aviation sector.
“The time has come for us to ease the free air movement of people and stimulate affordable air transportation prices. We need to take the necessary regional and continental regulatory and policy reforms toward the single African air transport market.
“However, the realisation of the single African air transport market will be dependent on progressive policy and regulatory reforms that will stimulate growth in Africa’s aviation industry.,” Mayaki explained.
He said a single African air transport market would enhance intra-regional air connectivity and address the current constraints of regional air transport access, while creating more air transport markets that will increase flight routes and create more opportunities for cross-border investment in the production and service industries, including tourism and intra-Africa trade.
“Therefore, the PIDA Week is an opportunity for us to reflect on these issues and together strategise on how best we can maximise the opportunities before us,” he said.
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Photo caption:
Dr Ibrahim Assane Mayaki