By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The African Civil Aviation
Commission (AFCAC) has called for stronger implementation of continental
aviation commitments, saying Africa’s future aviation growth will depend on
moving from policy declarations to practical action that expands connectivity,
lowers travel costs and strengthens trade.
AFCAC Secretary General
AdeSewa Adeyemi made the call at the opening of Aviation Africa 2026 in
Nairobi, where industry stakeholders are examining solutions to the major
challenges facing the continent’s aviation sector under the theme “Breaking the
Mould: Finding Solutions to the Key Challenges Hindering Africa’s Aviation
Industry.”
Adeyemi said Africa has
developed major policy frameworks to support greater aviation integration,
including the Yamoussoukro Decision, the Single African Air Transport Market
(SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
However, she said the
continent must now focus on changing how these commitments are implemented to
produce measurable outcomes for passengers, airlines, cargo operators and
investors.
“Breaking the mould means
moving from declarations to delivery, from policy ambition to viable routes,
passengers, cargo and investment, and from institutional silos to shared
responsibility,” Adeyemi said.
She noted that 38 African
Union Member States have joined SAATM and that more than 124 new intra-African
routes have been recorded in recent years, but said connectivity remains below
the continent’s potential.
According to Adeyemi,
passengers and cargo still frequently travel through distant international hubs
to reach destinations within Africa, creating additional costs and reducing the
efficiency and competitiveness of intra-African trade and travel.
She described the
connectivity challenge as more than an aviation issue, arguing that it is also
a competitiveness challenge that requires implementation to become central to
discussions on Africa’s aviation future.
Adeyemi said governments,
regulators, airlines, airports, air navigation service providers, border
agencies, investors and development partners all have a role to play in making
aviation connectivity more accessible, efficient and commercially viable.
She said AFCAC remains
committed to supporting efforts to move the continent from ambition to
implementation and to helping translate existing frameworks into tangible
improvements in air transport.
The Secretary General said
progress should ultimately be measured by the cities connected, viable routes
created, cargo moved within Africa, more affordable journeys and the number of
countries that turn their commitments into action.
“Africa has the market.
Africa has the people. Africa has the ambition. What we need now is delivery
discipline and shared action,” Adeyemi said.
