Barr. Keyamo Highlights The Importance Of SAATM At IATA WOCFA 2024
Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Barr. Festus Keyamo at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) conference titled “Wings of Change Focus Africa 2024 has highlighted “the critical importance of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), an initiative aimed at liberalizing the African aviation industry to enhance connectivity, improve safety standards, and boost economic growth.”
The conference, held in Johannesburg, gathered key stakeholders in the aviation industry to discuss the future of air transport across the African continent. The aviation Minister underscored “the need for collaborative efforts among African nations to realize the goals of SAATM, highlighting the potential for increased trade, tourism, and investment opportunities that a unified air transport market could bring.”
The Minister also outlined several key contributions necessary for achieving the SAATM objectives, including; “Policy Harmonization, Infrastructure Development, Capacity Building and Public-Private Partnerships”.
The Minister called for “a concerted effort to address the challenges facing the African aviation industry, such as high operational costs, restrictive bilateral agreements, and limited access to financing” and noted that overcoming these obstacles is “essential to unlocking the full potential of SAATM and achieving the broader economic benefits for the continent.”
The “Wings of Change Focus Africa 2024” conference served as a vital platform for dialogue and collaboration among African aviation leaders, regulators, and industry experts.
