Strauss Lunyangwe
Preliminary reports prepared by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has given Namibia flying colours in the security audit conducted from 19 to 28 November. Namibia became the first country in the world to be audited under the new ICAO standards, despite growing concerns that the country’s aviation status would be downgraded.
The report stated that out of 497 Protocol Questions (PQ) that were audited, 126 PQ’s were found to be satisfactory, which provided a 75 percent effective implementation rate for the audited area. This means ICAO did not detect any significant security concerns against the country.
Despite scoring above the average of 72 percent per audit, there are also minor improvements ICAO requires in the latest amendments to international standards. Some of the improvements the Namibia Airports Company will embark on include the screening of passengers, baggage and cargo improvement, providing certified screeners, and all airport operators should implement internal quality control measures to ensure the quality assurance of their operations.
Namibia Airports Company (NAC) board chairperson, Dr Leake Hangala, yesterday said that the world is faced with security and safety challenges, and when Namibia is globally audited with an outcome that says there is no security concerns, it means good business can follow. “The success came about the collaborative nature, starting from the president who appointed a special cabinet committee, which was headed by the deputy prime minister and other stake holders. We are extremely happy with the efforts we got, which made Namibia succeed in this regard,’’ he explained during the Cabinet briefing.
In addition, at the Cabinet briefing, NAC Acting CEO, Lot Haifidi, pointed out that they will not be lying idle with the positive results, but will work on the improvements that were identified by the audit. “We are going to build a sustainable system. If we fail to maintain our performance going forward, it could mean we will not perpetuate what we could achieve. NAC is not on holiday mode – in fact, the work has just began,’’ he noted.
Namibia will receive the final report from ICAO by the end of March 2019. NAC is already working on a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), using the preliminary report.
ICAO is a specialised agency of the United Nations. The organisation codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation, and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth.