Infrastructure gap limiting aviation performance in Africa – Sirika

Stakeholders in the global aviation industry have converged in Abuja to articulate the critical infrastructure gap that is limiting aviation growth trajectory on the African continent.

Africa’s aviation industry is perhaps the least performing compared to other continents, a situation African and other global aviation stakeholders’ have resolved to reverse.

Addressing participants at the three-day International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Workshop on Infrastructure Gap Analysis which began in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika said unless the infrastructure gap analysis is done, Africa might not prioritize aviation infrastructure investments that will impact the industry effectively.

He also said the gap analysis will help investors know clearly specific areas of interventions.

The workshop with about 150 participants is also expected to set a basis to formulate quality aviation infrastructure programme and master plan for Africa, at state and regional levels with agreed scope, broad and specific objectives.

In line with the objective of the workshop, a preliminary survey on aviation infrastructure in Africa covering airports, air navigation services, and air operators with respect to fleet capacity will be conducted.

State by State sample infrastructure gap analysis as relates to the present demand will be presented on the basis of the data obtained from the survey and other relevant information from the various stakeholders.

He noted that though Africa aviation already supports almost seven million jobs and $72.5billion in GDP, in terms of infrastructure requirements to support future capacity; Aviation in Africa and other regions faces some serious constraints due to inadequate airport capacity, and air traffic management technologies and a dearth of aviation personnel.

He said the “potential of African aviation is enormous and it needs to be harnessed, well coordinated and Africa has over a billion people and vast and wide that support air transportation but the absence of infrastructure is causing backwardness in the progress of the industry.”

Also speaking at the workshop, Mr. Bernard Aliu, the President of ICAO Council, said that Africa presently accounted for about four percent of global air transport services and has the highest potential for growth out of all global regions.

He disclosed that the ICAO air traffic forecast indicated that the current global traffic figures which stood at 4.1 billion passengers transported on 38 million flights were expected to double in the next 15 years.

According to him, passengers and traffic specifically in the African region are expected to grow approximately by 4.3 percent and 3.8 percent annually through 2025.

“When we consider the potential of this growth, and especially how much it should be operated through the African Union’s very important initiative toward the development of the single African air transport market.

“It becomes apparent that the growth in traffic must be accompanied by commensurate investment and commitment to new and modernised airport and air navigation equipment,” he said.