Gabon

1) What have been your achievements in CAA and aviation in your country in 2023 ?

• Since I assumed position as Director General of the National Civil Aviation Authority of Gabon on October 9, 2023, the CAA has overcome with success, a certain number of challenges, in particular: The launch of a massive nationwide campaign to raise awareness on careers in aviation, with a view to providing the Gabonese Civil Aviation Authority with a skilled local workforce.  This initiative was backed up by the signing of several partnership agreements with aviation academies such as EAMAC and ERNAM, as well as with some African civil aviation authorities for mutual capacity building and experience sharing between our respective inspectors.Other perspectives are in the pipeline, as several other avenues outside the continent are being considered in a bid to provide training for young university graduates with a passion for Aviation.The CAA will continue to strive towards making the Gabonese civil aviation system one of the best in the world, with the aim of achieving an 80% security compliance level by the next audit, scheduled for 2025.

  Furthermore, four (04) Air Operator Certificates (AOC) have been issued to new operators, including three (03) for helicopter transport and one for commercial air transport. It should be noted that this is the first time that the CAA is issuing an AOC to economic operators toward commercial helicopter transport.

  We wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of the French and Tunisian experts who supported us in carrying out these ventures.

  Our vision for the CAA is to make it “a safe and highly professional civil aviation authority and a driver for air transport development” in Gabon and in Africa, as a whole.

  It is in this mindset that in December 2021, the CAA embarked on a continuous improvement approach based on the recommendations of ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management Systems, for a certification which I fully support.

2) What are your challenges and how can AFCAC assist you?

At present, there is a need for Gabon to boost its aviation sector. To this end, and more precisely, our strategy consists in the following:

• continuing work on the implementation of the corrective action plan initiated following the ICAO Verification Mission (ICVM) with a view to addressing safety deficiencies identified, before the next ICAO audit;
• building a more resilient civil aviation sector in the face of global crisis situations and strengthening Gabon’s supervisory capacity, particularly in the area of aviation safety, through the establishment and effective implementation of the State Safety Programme (SSP);
• upgrading aircraft infrastructure, in particular by investing in the improvement of priority aerodromes and establishing new procedures designed to optimise the performance of the air navigation system;
• providing a conducive framework for the development of air transport activities and improve connectivity through a long-term strategy for the inclusive and sustainable development of the civil aviation system in a manner commensurate with Gabon’s overall economic and social development objectives;
• improving the coordination of all aeronautical and non-aeronautical entities involved for better access to transport services by air;
• following the example of a number of Civil Aviation Authorities in Africa, to provide our country with an aviation academy, duly recognised by ICAO and TRAINAIR plus, a guarantee of skills development in the area of air transport; and, finally
• improving the general performance of the CAA in order to continue to provide a better and enhanced level of service to the aviation community and the general public.

In order to meet the above civil aviation objectives, achievable short-term priority actions to be implemented have been identified and transcribed into the priority action matrix.

As such, AFCAC can assist by facilitating funding for actions in its area of interest: namely civil aviation safety management and promotion, in addition to the sustainable development of air transport.

3) Your commitment to SAATM: how are you going to proceed with the implementation?

Gabon is committed to the full implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision (DY) and the operationalisation of the SAATM.

To this end, several actions have been undertaken to facilitate the implementation of SAATM in Gabon and to guarantee its success.

These measures include close coordination with participating countries and the revision of bilateral and multilateral agreements in line with the provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD). In this regard, negotiations are underway with certain countries concerned to encourage the convergence of aviation policies and promote the harmonisation of regulations.

Bilateral and multilateral agreements are established to facilitate the free movement of aircraft, encourage cooperation between civil aviation authorities and eliminate regulatory barriers.

Furthermore, continuous measures are being taken to strengthen airport infrastructure, improve flight safety and security, and promote the training of aviation personnel. These measures aim to create an environment conducive to the growth of the aviation sector in the country and more extensively, in the sub-region.

Additionally, regulatory and monitoring mechanisms are being put in place to ensure that flight operations comply with international standards. This involves establishing effective and transparent oversight measures, as well as implementing monitoring mechanisms to regularly assess the performance of airline operators, who are also important players in the implementation of the SAATM, and also, to make any adjustments deemed necessary.

In a nutshell, actions being undertaken with a view to ensuring the effectiveness of the Single African Air Transport Market include coordination, negotiation of agreements, improvement of infrastructure and safety, staff development, and strengthening of regulatory and supervisory mechanisms.

4) What can you say about SAATM PIP?

On the 23rd Anniversary of the Yamoussoukro Decision, 35 Member States made a Solemn Commitment to fully implement the YD and the SAATM and 23 States, including Gabon, signed the Memorandum of Implementation for its unconditional operationalisation.

SAATM will improve air service levels and enhance competition in the area of routes. This will lead to more competitive fares, boost traffic volumes, promote trade, investment and other sectors of the economy and lead to increased productivity and greater economic growth and employment, while also contributing significantly to African integration.

Gabon has commenced implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision by aligning its aviation agreements with the YD. We have signed the Memorandum of Implementation and have embarked on the implementation project, following all the procedures.