Good morning, excellencies, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a pleasure to be here with you today.
For the next fifteen minutes, I have been asked to talk about practical solutions to improve safety, lower costs, strengthen infrastructure, and enhance connectivity across Africa.
Let me start with a simple observation: improving aviation is a choice.
It is a choice made by governments, regulators, airports, airlines and industry partners. It is a decision to create the conditions for aviation to succeed.
Aviation does not improve by accident. Better safety does not happen automatically. Lower costs do not appear on their own. Connectivity does not expand without deliberate action. Progress comes from policy decisions, investment decisions, and a commitment to work together.
I've been speaking at this forum for four years now.
A few years ago, our conversations focused on post-pandemic recovery, SAATM, blocked airline funds and safety. Those priorities have not disappeared. But the way we approach them has changed.
The turning point came in 2023. That was the year IATA launched Focus Africa.
The objective was straightforward: bring governments, regulators, airlines, airports and development partners together around practical actions that could strengthen aviation across the continent. Because we recognized that no single stakeholder could solve Africa's aviation challenges alone.
Since then, we have seen encouraging progress.
Safety performance is improving. Today, 47 African airlines are registered in the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) program, 23 in the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO) and six in the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA). And 26 airlines from Africa have signed on to the Safety Leadership Charter, representing the commitment by industry leaders to the continuous evolution of safety culture within their organizations.
Several countries have also advanced the implementation of financial settlement systems, with new operations in Sierra Leone, South Sudan and Somalia for the Billing and Settlement Plan (BSP), and in Ghana and Ivory Coast for Cargo Account Settlement System (CASS), while Ethiopia and Malawi have expanded to accept USD line of business as part of their BSPs.
Blocked funds have fallen significantly from their peak levels of $1.5 billion in July 2023 to $624 million in July of this year, thanks to continuous engagement with governments on the value of aviation and the negative impact blocked funds has tourism and the economy.
Governments have increasingly embraced digital border management tools such as Advanced Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) programs. Today 14 countries in Africa have API-PNR programs with more in the pipeline.
These developments demonstrate an important point: when stakeholders work together and make aviation a priority, progress follows.
But our work is far from finished.
Africa still records the world's highest accident rate. Intra-African connectivity remains far below its potential. Operating costs remain among the highest globally, Unit costs are around double the global average. Taxes and charges are minimum 15 percent above the global average. Blocked funds continue to be concentrated in African markets, making up 70% of total blocked funds. And some of the emerging API-PNR programs do not adhere to ICAO standards and industry best practices.
These challenges are not new, but the good news is that the policy tools and solutions exist.
Let's start with safety.
Safety is aviation's most important responsibility. Everything else depends on it.
One area where we continue to face challenges is the effective implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). The effective implementation rate across Sub-Saharan Africa stands at 60.34%, below the global average of 69.46% and the global target of 75%. Closing this gap requires stronger regulatory oversight and greater adoption of proven global standards.
That includes supporting programs such as IOSA, ISSA and ISAGO, which have consistently helped raise operational and safety performance across the industry.
A second challenge is accident investigation and reporting. Between 2020 and 2025, only 16% of accident reports in Africa were completed and published in accordance with ICAO requirements.
The solution is not complicated. Governments need to strengthen compliance with Annex 13 of the Chicago Convention by ensuring investigations are completed and findings are published in a timely manner. Every accident report provides valuable lessons that help prevent future accidents. When reports are delayed or never completed, those lessons are lost.
Through Focus Africa, we continue working with partners through the Collaborative Aviation Safety Improvement Program, or CASIP, addressing priorities such as runway safety and safety management systems. Two additional projects focused on ramp safety and safety program harmonization are now moving forward.
Again, these are choices. Choosing stronger oversight. Choosing transparency. Choosing harmonization. Choosing safety.
The same principle applies to costs.
African airlines face some of the highest operating costs in the world.
Fuel remains significantly more expensive in many African markets than elsewhere. It’s 17% higher than the global average, accounting for 40% of operating costs in Africa, compared to 25% globally.
Airlines also face a complex mix of taxes, charges and fees. Access to foreign exchange remains challenging in some countries. And many markets are simply too fragmented to deliver the economies of scale that airlines need.
One issue that has attracted significant attention over the last year is the implementation of API and PNR systems.
Let me be clear: IATA supports the use of passenger data to improve border security and facilitate travel. API-PNR implementation falls under Focus Africa’s infrastructure pillar. We have been actively supporting governments in their deployment.
The challenge arises when these programs do not adhere to ICAO standards and industry best practices. It is essential, that states implementing API and PNR do so in alignment with internationally agreed standards, supported by clear legal and operational frameworks, and unfortunately this is not the case in some of the emerging programs. Moreover, border security is a government responsibility and related costs, including those associated with API and PNR programs, should be funded by governments rather than airlines or passengers, through excessive charges.
We have seen examples of passenger levies reaching among the highest levels in the world, including in Tanzania ($45 per sector; $90 for a return ticket), Gabon ($30 per sector; $60 for a return ticket) and Equatorial Guinea ($50 per sector; $100 for a return ticket).
That is not sustainable.
The practical solution is straightforward. Implement API and PNR systems in accordance with internationally recognized standards and finance them in line with ICAO principles contained in Doc 9082.
A consistent approach improves security outcomes, protects passenger data, reduces complexity and avoids creating unnecessary costs for airlines and travelers.
The same logic applies to blocked funds.
When airlines cannot repatriate their revenues efficiently, connectivity suffers. Capacity growth slows. Investment decisions are delayed. Ultimately, consumers and economies pay the price.
The solution is for governments and industry to work together to facilitate access to foreign exchange, streamline repatriation processes and recognize aviation as a strategic sector that depends on the free movement of revenues.
It is a choice that supports connectivity, economic activity and national competitiveness.
Infrastructure presents another important policy choice.
The most successful aviation projects are not always the biggest or the most expensive. They are the ones that eliminate bottlenecks, improve efficiency, reduce costs and create capacity for growth.
As investment grows in airport expansion projects, for example, Ethiopia's new Bishoftu International Airport and the expansion of Casablanca's Mohammed V Airport in Morocco, I want to take this opportunity to highlight the importance of government consultation and close coordination with airlines and users, in adherence to ICAO policies. This will help ensure that infrastructure investment is demand-driven, cost-efficient, and aligned with global best practices.
Because ultimately, all roads lead to connectivity.
Connectivity is what allows businesses to reach new markets, tourists to travel, investment to flow and communities to access economic opportunities.
Yet connectivity is shaped by policy decisions.
Every unnecessary tax, charge or regulatory barrier increases the cost of travel and weakens connectivity.
Every measure that improves efficiency, lowers costs and supports competition strengthens connectivity.
The choice facing governments is therefore clear. Should aviation be treated primarily as a source of revenue, or as an engine of economic development?
The evidence is clear. Countries that prioritize connectivity benefit from stronger trade, tourism and investment growth.
Ladies and gentlemen, Africa's aviation challenges are well known. So are the solutions. We know how to improve safety. We know how to lower costs. We know how to build infrastructure that supports growth. And we know how to strengthen connectivity.
What matters now is the willingness to act. Africa has the potential, demand and opportunity. The solutions are within reach, and the choice to implement them is ours.
Thank you.
