African Union Heads of State will later this week launch the long-awaited Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The initiative, which is part of the wide 2063 Agenda, is tipped to usher in a new dawn for the continent’s aviation industry as it will “completely liberalise” air transport markets in Africa, according to experts.
African Union Heads of State will later this week launch the long-awaited Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
The initiative, which is part of the wide 2063 Agenda, is tipped to usher in a new dawn for the continent’s aviation industry as it will "completely liberalise” air transport markets in Africa, according to experts.
According to the Ministry of Infrastructure, the launch of SAATM will be presided over by President Paul Kagame who is also the Chairman of the African Union.
"The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to be launched on 28 Jan 2018 in Addis Ababa, #Ethiopia during the upcoming @_AfricanUnion Heads of State Summit in an event to be presided over by HE @PaulKagame ,President of the Rep. of #Rwanda,” the ministry tweeted.
SAATM is a flagship project of the African Union Agenda 2063, aimed at creating a single unified air transport market in Africa, the liberalisation of civil aviation in Africa and as an impetus to the Continent’s economic integration agenda.
In tomorrow’s edition of the Business Times, we will examine whether this initiative is the "magic bullet” that will help solve the many challenges faced by Africa’s aviation sector and intra-Africa trade by extension.