By Monday Ukoha
Regional Collaboration Is Driving Safety Improvements
Aviation safety in Africa has continued to improve due in part and largely to many cooperative efforts at international and regional levels. In 2024, according to the International Air Transport Association, IATA, Africa has had no jet hull loss in the past seven years. In Abuja in July 2025, aviation experts meeting under the aegis of the Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) noted that the subregion was marking 6 years of non-fatal accident within the bloc.
In this time too, the results of the latest ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programmes (USOAP) have seen many African countries notably South Africa, Cote D’Ivoire and Ghana score very high in these audits. These improvements are the result of several collaborative efforts at the international and regional levels to remove the scourge of perennial poor safety record over the continent.
There has been tremendous improvement in Africa’s aviation safety, even if the benefits including for instance reduction in insurance charges, lease rates, amongst others are not reflective of recent improved results. This result might not have been without the collaboration of regional aviation safety bodies, notably BAGASOO, BAGAIA, CASSOA amongst others.
More Work to be Done
In spite of the improvements, the continents safety record of 3.98 per million flights remains the highest among all regions of the world nevertheless it reflects a huge leap from the previous 7.01 per million flights.
The latest data by IATA adds more urgency for governments on the need to sustain safety improvements on the continent. IATA notes that “While African safety has improved, the continent’s safety rate lags the global average in its implementation of ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS). On average, the effective implementation rate for ICAO SARPS is 59.49% across 46 of 48 Sub-Saharan African states, behind the global average of 69.16% and the global target of 75%.”
Furthermore, IATA called on African states to deliver timely accident reports noting that “Of the 42 accidents occurring in Africa between 2018 and 2023, only eight have seen the publication of a final report.” There is no gain saying that the delay is down to resource limitations.
BAGASOO Has Been Plugging The Gaps
An analysis of safety occurrences in Africa, and indeed world over, has consistently underscored human error and human capacity deficiencies. A major challenge has been the insufficient number of trained inspectors and experts. But in this regard, leveraging the strength of regional pool of inspectors, the industry has been able to overcome some of these challenges. Speaking to Aviation & Allied Business in 2024, the Director General of Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority, Madame Musayeroh Barrie highlighted the tremendous assistance of BAGASOO and member states to the success recorded by the State of Sierra Leone in its last USOAP audit, moving from about 17% to a score of 72%.
Furthermore, the cooperative relationship within the BAG region reduces the needless duplication of efforts and release those resources that would have otherwise been so tied, which ensures that safety is improved across the subregion. Acting Director General Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Reverence Stephen Arthur points out that for safety to really improve in the subregion, the state and the skies of the contiguous states where its carriers fly to must also be safe.
Many countries in Africa lack the capacity to effectively oversight their aviation industry leading to bans from flying to certain airspaces but leveraging community efforts many have been able to improve the safety of their aviation industry. In an exclusive interview with Aviation & Allied Business Journal at the recently concluded BAGASOO Safety Conference in Abuja, the Executive Director, BAGASOO, Jailza Rodriques Silva said the agency has assisted several countries in crafting their national civil aviation policy, amongst others.
More Support for the Regional Safety (And Security) Oversight Agencies
The Regional Safety Oversight Organisations (RSOOs) in Africa have made huge efforts in improving and are necessary for sustaining safe aviation and security in the subregion. These organizations have important roles in the region and therefore needs the funding support to continue to be relevant which is a major challenge. However, the search for funding seems to be clogged in other challenges. For instance, the agreement by the ministers of aviation of BAG states to levy a one (1) US dollar charge on international passengers departing from the various countries is encountering an early push back because many believe that the subregion is notorious for having the highest tax regime on air transport across the world. In fact, a 2024 passengers taxes study published by the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) notes that “On sub-regional basis, West Africa is the most expensive, with an average USD 109.5 in taxes, charges, and fees paid for international departures”. The BAGASOO Executive Director has clarified that the USD 1 charge is not an entirely new tax but will be taken out of the existing levies by each country.
Many of the countries of the sub region do not have the financial capacity and equally lack the human capacity to individually manage their safety processes on their own. Therefore, the collaborative framework offered by BAGASOO continues to provide capacity where otherwise there would be none. Reverend Arthur spoke of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority assisting its Nigerian counterpart, while the Sierra Leone Deputy Director General of Civil Aviation, Mr. Arnold Hassan Bangura noted that the country perhaps understands the power of the collectives better than any other state.
Gains Must Not Be Reversed
The impact of the RSOOs cannot be diminished and the journey towards a safer aviation sector in Africa continues. It is therefore pertinent to call on states to prioritize support for the organisations. A major pathway for sustainable aviation growth in Africa is continuous safety improvement.