Zambia

“The implementation of the SAATM will unlock Africa’s potential. We will see more productivity in various sectors”

1. What have been your accomplishments within the Civil Aviation Authority and in the field of aviation in your country in 2022?

First and foremost, allow me to thank AFCAC for this wonderful initiative to shine the spotlight on Africa’s Director Generals and the various achievements that each country continues to score.

Zambia’s CAA has continued to record a number of milestones in the industry. The CAA continues to inspire confidence in Zambia’s aviation industry as an autonomous authority that has been efficient in providing safety and security oversight and direction to Zambia’s aviation industry. Our Effective Implementation keeps on improving as we endeavour to put in place measures that uphold the highest standards of safety and security.

Zambia is being positioned to become a transport and logistics hub in the region, hence aviation plays a cardinal role in the actualisation of this goal. The Minister of Transport and Logistics towards the end of May launched the 5 year  Aviation strategy which gives strategic direction to the industry upto the year 2026. Aviation has therefore been identified as an enabler to this goal. As a result, the government has prioritised aviation and as a result, has been undertaking massive investments in airport infrastructure. Three of the international airports, namely the Kenneth Kaunda, Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe and Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airports were constructed and/or upgraded to international certification standards. The CAA has since successfully certified the three airports according to international standards thus aligning with the Abuja safety targets. The government has also pumped in huge sums of money to upgrade the provincial aerodromes in order to create a hub and spoke scenario where the provincial aerodromes feed into the main or international airports.

The CAA has continued to engage stakeholders at multiple levels. The ICAO Assembly was one such avenue where the Minister of Transport and Logistics; the Permanent Secretary; the CAA Director General and the Zambia Airports Managing Director engaged high level stakeholders such as the World Bank, ICAO, AFCAC, EU, IATA and various States on pertinent issues that have resulted in key milestones such as receiving technical support to our sector as well as upcoming projects that will transform the way we do business in aviation.

The CAA also engaged stakeholders such as the Ministry of Transport and Logistics; other government institutions; the private sector; academia; the media and members of the public. We also held various meetings with the European Union and aviation stakeholders concerning the implementation of the Aviation Sector Support Programme (ASSP II) where technical and financial support was rendered to the CAA and the aviation industry. We also had engagements with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) on the Support to the Air Transport Sector Development Programme which has three objectives, i.e.  to operationalise the Single African Air Transport Market ; Strengthen  regulatory and institutional capacity of civil aviation institutions in the  East African, Southern African and Indian Ocean (EA SA-IO) region and lastly, improve air navigation efficiency in the EA-SA-IO region. All these collaborative efforts with the EU, COMESA and AFCAC will result into Zambia’s aviation industry scoring well in its performance and ultimately, contributing to Zambia’s socio- economic development.

Allow me to add some other achievements as follows:

• Zambia was selected as one of the countries to implement the SAATM. This has put Zambia on the continental map and we look forward to seeing more results with the implementation of the SAATM.
• Zambia has an EI of above the world average and continued to work hard to ensure that we continuously improve so as to make safety and security assurance a reality. We have also continued to monitor and use the ICAO online framework that has been very helpful in our operations.
• The CAA has also successfully implemented the State Safety Programme.
• The recent introduction of the National Airline is a huge boost towards economic activities as aviation has a spiral effect on other socio – economic sectors such as tourism, mining, agriculture, commerce and trade etc. We have seen a gradual increase in the passenger numbers owing to the safety measures that the industry has continued to put in place.
• The government also announced a relaxation in the COVID protocols as well as a waiving of entry visas for some countries so this has encouraged more tourists to visit Zambia. The move has also boosted our passenger as well as tourist numbers.

2. What are your current challenges and what kind of support do you require from AFCAC?

• The Zambia CAA despite doing well in a number of areas is still understaffed due to budgetary constraints.
• Our technical personnel need recurring training in various specialised areas but due to budget constraints, we have to prioritise operations over training.
• There is still need for more technical support to strengthen the regulatory role of the CAA.
• There is need for more stakeholder collaborations if the SAATM is to work. The SAATM Implementation Plan should be at multiple levels (both high level as well as operational) and because the key players are diverse, there is need for a clear stakeholder engagement and communications plan that will see Africa achieving this.
• Being a government agency, funding is mostly channelled towards high priority areas hence supplementary budgets on stakeholder engagements and publicity on the SAATM would be of great help to the State.

3. What are the actions you are taking to ensure the effectiveness of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)?

As part of the SAATM PIP implementing States, we are committed to see to it that we address the various barriers to implementing the SAATM and engage various stakeholders to achieve this. We are committed to the implementation of the SAATM and have ensured that as we negotiate and agree upon new Bilateral Air Service Agreements, we ensure that they are YD compliant.

The SAATM has enormous benefits that can spur economic growth for the country. Once Bilateral Air Service Agreements are aligned with the SAATM objectives, Africa will witness better connectivity. Zambia is also open to the granting of fifth freedom traffic rights to airlines so that the skies are opened up to more players. This will translate into better connectivity. We also commit to raising awareness about the SAATM so that all stakeholders can buy into the implementation of SAATM so as to see its benefits.

4. What are your impressions about the SAATM PIP?

SAATM PIP is a welcome initiative, especially the multi-tiered approach where AFCAC will approach this issue at various levels starting with the Presidents, then Ministers and so forth. Hence this will help provide a structured approach that will produce results and see the implementation of the SAATM being more effective. It will also help streamline efforts towards the desired objectives so that the whole continent has synergies that will culminate into areas of improvement.

The implementation of the SAATM will unlock Africa’s potential. We will see more productivity in various sectors; less travel time due to better connectivity as well as improved business operations and efficiency. The country and continent as a whole will see more passenger and cargo movement that will spur economic growth. This will foster economic development through enhanced intra Africa trade.