The operations of the aviation industry in the country could improve once a Presidential Order establishing special statutes governing Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA) comes into force.

The draft Presidential Order was approved by Cabinet, last week, as part of efforts to improve RCAA operations.

Speaking to The New Times, yesterday, the Minister of State for Transport, Dr Alexis Nzahabwanimana, said the government statutory authority that oversees the approval and regulation of civil aviation is sometimes hampered by bureaucracy that necessitated the new special statutes.

Dr Nzahabwanimana said the new statute would improve service delivery by speeding decision making as well as enhancing staff management.

"Previously, decision making would drag on, especially when recruiting as this would have to go through a long process that entailed a minister’s approval as per the Ministry of Public Service procedures,” Dr Nzahabwanimana said.

"Whenever they (RCAA) wanted to send an employee abroad, it would go through a long process. They write to me, I also write to the Prime Minister, who would have to get back to me, and so on, before the employee goes.”

He explained that there would be situations where when a plane would face a hitch "say, when it is in Nairobi, and nothing could be done on it before our staffer arrives” to take charge because it is registered in Rwanda.

A plane would be stranded at an airport and the minister would have to first give consent for things to be rectified.

The lengthy back and forth consultation process of getting approval, he said, would often take three days, which is not good for business.

"We approved that the head of RCCA can send an employee immediately it becomes necessary, to go and handle the issue, without going through a lot of bureaucratic channels,” he said.

The new statutes also allow the RCAA chief to consult pertinent government departments on a possible salary increment whenever it is deemed necessary – for example, when hiring highly qualified and very expensive but necessary employee – without being impeded by the normal public service statute.

"But the most important element in all this was flexibility and cutting short on bureaucracy with regard to RCAA given its nature of work. RCAA is the main entity responsible for aircrafts when they experience difficulties, anywhere,” the minister noted.

RCAA spokesperson Tony Barigye said the aviation industry involves high costs of human resource capacity development and that it has often been a challenge to retain and motivate highly skilled people.

"Aviation is resource-intensive. We would train people at a high cost, mostly from abroad, but when their remuneration does not increase, they leave and that is a challenge. The new statitute will allow us take faster decisions to motivate and retain specialist staff,” he said.

Barigye added that cases of emergency will also be quickly addressed.

Last week, Cabinet also approved the appointments of RCAA management, with Col. Silas Udahemuka as Director-General, taking over from Dr Richard Masozera.

Didier Nkurikiyimfura is Board Chairperson and Lt. Col. Chance Ndagano, Vice Chairperson.

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