The long-awaited Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) will be launched this week by the African Union heads of states that have converged in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
According to experts the initiative is expected to welcome a new dawn for the aviation industry as it will “completely liberalise” air transport markets in Africa.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, who is the Chairman of the African Union is set to preside over the launch of SAATM, local online website, the New Times reports.
SAATM is a flagship project of the African Union Agenda 2063, aimed at creating a single unified air transport market in Africa.
Africa’s aviation industry currently supports 8 million jobs. According to AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid, in a statement released by the the AU on Monday, SAATM was created with the aim of enhancing connectivity, facilitating trade and tourism, creating employment, and ensuring that the industry plays a more prominent role in the global economy and significantly contributing to the AU’s Agenda 2063.
The launch, expected on Jan. 28 will spur more opportunities to promote trade, cross-border investments in the production and service industries including tourism creating additional 300,000 jobs directly and 2 million indirect jobs for people across the continent therefore contributing immensely to the integration and socio-economic growth of the continent.
As the first of the AU’s 12 Agenda 2063 flagship projects to be launched, the implementation of SAATM will pave the way for other flagship projects like the African Passport and enabling the Free Movement of People, the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), said the commissioner.
An exhibition billed “Flying the AU Agenda 2063 for an integrated, peaceful and prosperous Africa” will be unveiled to mark the launch, as well as the inauguration of a commemorative plaque, according to the AU.
So far, 23 African countries out of 55 have subscribed to the Single African Air Transport Market, whereas 44 African countries have signed the Yamoussoukro Decision, the competition and consumer protection regulations that safeguards the efficient operation of the market, the statement said.
The 30th AU Summit kicked off Monday at the headquarters of the AU in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.
Several heads of states, ambassadors and officials of the 55 AU member states are meeting in Addis Ababa for the sumit, under the theme, “Winning the Fight against Corruption: A Sustainable Path to Africa’s Transformation.
