Comesa pushes for single air market

THE Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) says it will this year intensify advocacy activities among its members to ensure adoption of the Single Africa Air Transport Market initiative.

Last month, Africa aviation industry stakeholders met in Dakar, Senegal, and agreed to this year focus on finalising and executing the Single Africa Air Transport Market (SAATM) Implementation Road Map.

They also agreed on the need for early completion of the 55-country study on SAATM socio-economic benefits to Africa.

“Comesa will this year intensify advocacy activities in 15 of its 21 member States to ensure they sign the Solemn Commitment to Implement the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). So far only six Comesa countries comprising Egypt, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Kenya, Rwanda and Zimbabwe have signed the commitment,” said Comesa in a statement.

SAATM was launched by the African Union Heads of State and Government in January last year.

Shortly after, a prioritised joint action plan for 2018-2019 was developed by aviation industry stakeholders to operationalise the SAATM. Comesa senior transport economist Mr Bernard Dzawanda, who attended the Dakar meeting on the implementation of the Prioritised Action Plan for operationalisation of the SAATM 2018/19 was quoted as saying:

“One of the key activities in the prioritised action plan was the signing and implementation of the Memorandum of Co-operation (MoC) between African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).”

The prioritised action plans of the SAATM are based on six pillars namely advocacy for effective operationalisation of SAATM, a regulatory framework to ensure availability of appropriate regulations for the oversight of the SAATM, operationalisation of SAATM; aviation infrastructure; enhancing safety and security and aviation financing.

One of the three result areas of the four-year programme is to facilitate and support the operationalisation of SAATM.

“Comesa will intensify lobbying for the implementation of SAATM at its statutory meetings, which involve directors of civil aviation, joint technical committee and ministers of infrastructure meetings from its Member States,” said Mr Dzawanda.