The 18th plenary of the Banjul Accord Group (BAG) currently on in Abuja, Nigeria, has again harped on the need for urgent implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to reduce the high cost of travel and increase connectivity across the continent. BAG is a regional aviation organisation.
The meeting had in attendance the Directors-General of Civil Aviation (DGCAs) of the BAG countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Conakry, Cape Verde and Gambia.
Declaring open the three-day gathering, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development of Nigeria, Festus Keyamo, stated that SAATM’s implementation would increase air connectivity, make trips shorter with optimal user satisfaction at minimal prices.
He clarified that SAATM represents the vision of achieving the African Union’s (AU)Agenda 2063 and unlocking the immense potential of seamless air connectivity across the continent, adding that air connectivity is an asset to improve global competitiveness of cities, states and regions, thus Africa cannot be left behind.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of the African Civil Aviation Council (AFCAC), Adefunke Adeyemi, called on the BAG members to urgently domesticate the SAATM provisions into their national policies and laws, to reform and align fully with the initiative’s revised principles, and to strengthen regulatory institutions.
