Rwanda President Paul Kagame, who, at the weekend, took over as president of the African Union (AU), on Sunday also announced the launch of a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
The SAATM is the first AU Agenda 2063 flagship project and is aimed at creating a single unified air transport market in Africa to liberalise civil aviation on the continent and to advance Africa’s economic integration agenda.
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) said the SAATM would stimulate demand, improve the competitiveness of the African airline industry and make air travel more accessible.
"The SAATM has the potential for remarkable transformation that will build prosperity while connecting the African continent. Every open air service arrangement has boosted traffic, lifted economies and created jobs. And we expect no less in Africa on the back of the SAATM agreement.
“An Iata survey suggests that if just 12 key African countries opened their markets and increased connectivity, an extra 155 000 jobs and $1.3-billion in annual gross domestic product would be created in those countries," said Iata VP for Africa Raphael Kuuchi.
Meanwhile, Kagame also highlighted the creation of a continent-wide free trade area as a priority for the AU this year.