Catherine Riungu
5 October 2009
Nairobi — The East African Community Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency will host an aviation symposium as part of the ongoing activities to mark the bloc's 10th anniversary.
The symposium, under the theme " Aviation - Linking EAC and the world safely and efficiently," will be held in collaboration with the EAC Secretariat and partner states' civil aviation authorities.
The EAC has launched activities for the 10th Anniversary Observance at which it will highlight its achievements and challenges during the first decade and renew its commitment to regional integration.
The theme of the observance is "EAC 10 Years of Integration: One People, One Destiny."
Secretary General Juma Mwapachu said the observance is a joint undertaking of all the EAC organs and institutions and the partner states' ministries of EAC Affairs.
The executive director of the aviation agency, Mtesigwa Maugo said the main objective of the symposium, slated for October 22 at the Naura Springs Hotel in Arusha, is to engage the aviation industry stakeholders in the region to examine the role of the sector in development and deepening the integration of the EAC.
He added that the challenges in Africa are enormous due to the fact that statistics indicate that accident rates are above the global average.
"This leads to a perception that the aviation industry in Africa is unsafe regardless of the states or sub-regions involved," said Mr Maugo.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation, in its safety strategic objectives, has set a target that by 2012, no one region should have accident rates of more than twice the global average.
The economics of the industry and in particular market access will be discussed during the symposium.
Special emphasis will be placed on the challenges and benefits of liberalised air transport services from both the regulators and air operators' perspective.
Also to feature is how aviation can be a tool for bringing together the East African and the international community.
Traditionally the aviation industry has always been regulated, ranging from service delivery and output level, prices, as well as conditions on airline ownership and control.
Recognising these limiting factors for the growth of the industry, Africa made a policy decision to guide the liberalisation of air transport service commonly known as the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD), enacted in 1999. The implementation of the Decision remains limited.
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