Transport ministers from a dozen African countries gathered outside Pretoria yesterday to discuss opening the continent’s skies.
The result of their deliberations will be presented to the African Union summit in Addis Ababa next week.
It’s been 12 years since African leaders signed the Yamoussoukro agreement on liberalising air transport over the continent.
The AU Commission headed Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma is prioritising this as part of the continental body’s Agenda 2063.
The ministers meeting in South Africa represent African countries with flagship carriers or air traffic hubs.
Their hostess, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters says South Africa identifies air transport as a major instrument fighting the triple evils of unemployment, inequality and poverty.
Africa is becoming the third fastest growing market for air transport yet continental regulations governing aviation lag behind the rest of world.
She says African countries must forge aviation links with each other before looking further afield adding that Africans have traditionally found the quickest way of getting to each other,
Why then are Africans forced to travel to Europe before they can reach Tunisia and other parts of their own concontinentcontinent.
She says liberalisation between Africa’s 12 countries with airlines will provide an extra 155 000 jobs and $1.3 billion in annual GDP.
It will give seats to five million passengers currently denied these by restrictive practices.