The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has announced the renewal of the existing Memorandum of Understanding with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The MoU, which was initially signed in 2018 according to AFRAA “provides a framework to synergise joint efforts by AFRAA and IATA to aid Africa’s economic growth through a safer, more connected and sustainable aviation industry.”
Due to this MoU, AFRAA will collaborate with IATA on the Focus Africa initiative which aims to maximize the contribution of aviation to development across the African Continent by better serving passengers and shippers. Under Focus Africa, private and public stakeholders are committed to delivering measurable improvements in six critical areas – safety, infrastructure, connectivity, finance & distribution, sustainability, and skills development.
“The renewal of the MoU between AFRAA and IATA is a noteworthy testament of the commitment of our two organizations to better serve the air transport industry and deliver our respective mandates for the African region. Through enhanced the collaboration, the MoU facilitates the realization of AFRAA and IATA’s common vision for the development of a safe, secure and sustainable aviation industry in Africa,” said Mr. Abderahmane Berthé, AFRAA’s Secretary General.
“Further collaboration on the AFRAA Aviation Stakeholders Convention (ASC) and the AFRAA Africa Safety and Operations Summit and the six focus areas of the Focus Africa initiative including: safety, infrastructure, connectivity, finance and distribution, sustainability and future skills will help unlock the economic opportunities that will drive the growth of the aviation industry across Africa. Together, we can make a difference and create a brighter future for the African aviation industry.” Mr. Berthé added.
Kamil Al Awadhi, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East also said “AFRAA strengthens the Focus Africa coalition as we work to increase aviation’s role in Africa’s development. This has enormous promise. The continent is home to the world’s most rapidly growing population but accounts for just 2% of air passenger and cargo transport activity. The road to realizing aviation’s potential will be long. But with the strong partnerships committed to Focus Africa, we can, and we will realize the needed change,”
