SAATM, unified passport panacea to Africa’s transport problems

Chukwuemeke Iwelunmo

For the transport sector to grow into prosperity in Africa there is a need to tackle air transport infrastructure deficit, travel restrictions among others.

The Chairman organising committee Airport Business Summit Expo (ABSE), Mr Fortune Idu who disclosed this at the 2019 ABSE in Lagos while delivering his address noted that the proposed Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)

and a unified African passport remained good regional initiatives to begin solving the problems associated with Africa’s transport.

According to Idu, the envisaged increase in Africa Air Transport has increased in passenger traffic growth rate of 9.9 per cent between 2017 and 2018 as against 6.3 per cent between 2016 and 2017

stressing that it has been projected that by 2035 it will rise to 4.3 per cent annually while more people were expected to travel in and out of Africa significantly.

Currently, Mr Idu disclosed that the continent has 731 airports with 419 airlines with the aviation sector supporting 7 million jobs and generating S80 billion in economic activities.

He opined that more needed to be done with the airport economies of the region being steered towards the right direction to catalyse the growth of the industry through accountable and providing incentives to support the airline growth.

He called on for the consolidation of the air transport services in order to build a strong base for the industry since the airport has all options on aeronautic and vast non-aeronautic revenue.

Idu urged stakeholders not to relent in attending the the conference stressing that it was the first edition of the summit in Lagos.

He noted that the first five editions were staged in Abuja with encouraging turn out but hoped that with the movement of the summit to Lagos that it will attract more participants