African countries must urgently implement the Single African Air Transport Market (SA ATM) if they want to lower the cost of air transport on the continent and boost development, according to East African Community (EAC) Secretary General Dr Peter Mathuki.Speaking at an event in Nairobi, Kenya recently, he said African air cargo currently accounted for only 2% of the global air cargo market, adding that air transport remained out of reach for cargo haulage due to high associated costs.“These costs can be brought down if we have political commitment to implement the SA ATM agreement,” he said. As part of its commitment to improved connectivity, the region continued to ramp up investments in infrastructure.A second international airport in Uganda in Hoima was one of these investments. The airport is expected to facilitate mobilisation of equipment for construction of the Uganda Oil Refinery and boost the development of agriculture and tourism.With a runway of 3.5km planned, it will be able to accommodate massive cargo aircraft to service the oil industry, while plans are also under way to establish it as an agricultural and industrial export hub.
