The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD) have signed an agreement to enhance the development of aviation in the continent.
ICAO made the announcement in a statement posted on its website on Thursday.
ICAO Council President Bernard Aliu said the agreement would also promote related aviation infrastructure development and capacity-building in aid of sustainable air transport for Africa and Africans.
He said: “Working cooperatively is, and has always been, fundamental to the aviation sector.
“This new framework with NEPAD will allow us to effectively address the development and modernisation of quality aviation infrastructure in Africa.
“This is consistent with ICAO’s global and Africa regional planning and commensurate with the exponential traffic growth forecast here.”
According to him, the new ICAO/NEPAD Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will formalise and deepen the cooperation between the two organisations.
Aliu said it would contribute to the implementation of the Declaration and Framework for a Plan of Action for Development of Aviation Infrastructure in Africa, which was adopted at the fourth ICAO World Aviation Forum (Abuja, Nigeria in November 2017).
Also, NEPAD’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, said both organisations would now be working more closely in facilitating the movement of persons and goods in Africa.
Mayaki said they would be mobilising resources for aviation infrastructure development, implementing NEPAD’s “MoveAfrica” initiative for the aviation sector.
According to him, it will also include developing e-commerce, and training and retaining next generation aviation professionals and promoting gender equity on the continent.
He said: “This collaboration will provide added value for both organisations and improve aviation infrastructure development in Africa.
“It will help strengthen NEPAD’s understanding of the aviation sector, and importantly help us to ensure the inclusion of aviation projects in the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa.” (NAN)