The African Development Bank is calling on African governments to take bold actions aimed at improving connectivity, market access, and cost reduction in the continent’s aviation sector.

Speaking at the third ICAO World Aviation Forum in Abuja, Pierre Guislain AfDB Vice-President for Private Sector, Infrastructure and Industrialisation emphasised the critical role aviation can play to boost economic growth by integrating the continent’s fragmented markets.

Despite Africa’s fragmentation with major economic centres geographically far from each other, the low level of connectivity and absence of significant airline hubs remains a real challenge for business people and ordinary Africans, he observed.

“We all know that travelling in Africa remains inconvenient and costly. Today, a two and half hour flight from Lilongwe and Johannesburg costs 3 times more than a similar flight from Rome to London, for example,” he noted.

Opening intra-African aviation a priority

Opening intra-African aviation and lifting remaining traffic restrictions is still a priority nearly 20 years after the Yamoussoukro Decision signed by 44 countries.

The AfDB VP considers private sector financing and investment as critical and canvased a level playing field where there is an open and reliable access, as well as private airlines competing with state-owned operators.

“In the past ten years, AfDB has provided about $1 billion to the African aviation sector. We have invested in airport construction or expansion in Morocco, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Ghana or Kenya, and in the improvement of air safety and navigation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and West and Central Africa,” he stressed.

Hampered by high costs

Liberalisation of the aviation industry can spur regional integration and trade by bridging the 54 fragmented African markets, he noted.

According to the AfDB, the African aviation industry is hampered by high costs. Therefore, sustained growth of the sector would require a tough look at ways to cut costs related to high taxes, fees and charges and airport levies.

The AfDB partnered with the Nigerian government, the African Union Commission (AUC), and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency to co-host the third ICAO World Aviation Forum.