Governments must ensure cost-effective infrastructure
ED RICHARDSON
PRESIDENT THABO Mbeki says Africa needs a comprehensive and concrete programme of action for aviation, describing the industry as being in a “parlous state of affairs,” with often unreliable airlines and frequent cancellations, which were not only inconvenient but also unproductive for Africa’s economic growth.
He was speaking at the opening of the African Union (AU) meeting of ministers in Sun City, North West recently, to find ways of enhancing the continent’s aviation and air traffic system.
Speaking of the aviation industry’s potential to stimulate economic growth, President Mbeki said it was estimated by the International Air Traffic Association (IATA) that airlines brought to the global economy about four million direct jobs with US$400 billion output and
24 million related jobs or US$1.4 trillion.
He quoted IATA director general Giovanni Bisignani who argued that governments ought to ensure cost-effective infrastructure so that the global economy did not continue to see record profits at airports and yet record losses by airlines.
President Mbeki also expressed concern that although Africa accounted for about 3% of world aircraft departures, it witnessed 27% of all fatal accidents on its soil.
Also addressing the gathering, the AU commissioner for infrastructure and energy Bernard Zoba said air transport played a vital role in the development of trade between countries and continents.
“In today’s global economy, the viability and speed of these commercial exchanges are important factors for integration and development,” he said.
He said the AU questioned the logic of maintaining weak airlines equipped with small fleets comprising old planes that could not cope with global competition and which were not well equipped to meet the growing demand for travel on the continent.
“We would like to see greater cooperation between major airlines in order to facilitate movement on the continent by means of air transport, particularly in Western and Central Africa.”
