The Namibian government is doubling down on aviation infrastructure as part of its growth strategy, with Works and Transport Minister Veikko Nekundi highlighting major upgrades at Hosea Kutako International Airport, including a third terminal and plans for a new national carrier, Namibia Air.
"These developments are critical to ensuring that Namibia remains competitive and capable of supporting increased air traffic," Nekundi said.
But as potentially billions flow into physical infrastructure, a stark warning is emerging from within the aviation technology sector that concrete alone will not fix Africa's aviation bottlenecks.
During an exclusive interview last week, Selim Bouri, President for the Middle East and Africa at SITA, proposed that Africa grasps a generational opportunity to prioritise digital transformation alongside infrastructure expansion. SITA (Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautiques) is a global IT and communications company that provides the digital backbone for airlines, airports and border authorities. SITA is considered the invisible infrastructure that keeps modern air travel running smoothly.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
"What stands out... is a global tendency that airlines and airports are increasing their investment in technology," Bouri said.
"But in Africa and the Middle East, there is a gap."
That gap, he explained, is widening at a dangerous pace. While "literally 100% of the airlines" in the region are ramping up spending on data-driven systems, in terms of artificial intelligence and operational optimisation, airports are falling behind.
"Only 40% of the airports in Africa and the Middle East are planning to increase their technology spending, and some are even reducing it," he said.
"This is below the rest of the world... and that is a concern."
The implications are far-reaching. According to Bouri, aviation is no longer defined by isolated investments in aircraft, terminals or runways, but by the seamless integration of systems across airlines, airports and governments.
"The real advantage of technology... is on a relevant integration of data between all the ecosystems," he said.
"If the airlines increase and the airport decreases, then there will be a gap... Africa will not take advantage of that investment the way it should."
At the heart of the warning is the growing frequency of disruptions in global aviation, from fuel shortages and geopolitical tensions to operational delays and capacity constraints. These disruptions, Bouri stressed, are no longer exceptional events but part of daily operations.
"Disruptions are not something that happens once in a while. It's now business as usual," he said.
Without coordinated investment in technology, even minor issues can spiral into system-wide failures.
"If we don't treat something in the first five to ten minutes... that one hour can become three, four, five-hour delays, or even multiple days in Africa," Bouri warned.
"The impact here will be economic... everyone will lose money, everyone will lose time."
This warning comes as the aviation sector grapples with rising jet fuel prices and supply uncertainty, factors already driving up ticket costs and putting pressure on consumers.
According to Bouri, technology offers one of the fastest and most effective ways to cushion the blow.
"It will absolutely limit the impact," he said, referring to data-driven optimisation systems.
"We are talking about reducing fuel consumption by up to 10% on a traditional route and potentially up to 40% on end-to-end operations."
Crucially, a significant portion of fuel waste is not tied to flying itself, but to inefficiencies on the ground and in system coordination.
"All of these aspects... can account for up to 20% of fuel consumption," he explained, pointing to delays in passenger processing, poor turnaround times and fragmented systems.
"You can see the impact of disruptions if it's not managed well."
For Africa, which is widely seen as the fastest-growing aviation market globally over the next five years, the stakes could not be higher.
"This is a massive opportunity for Africa," Bouri said. "But it's not about investing in space only... building new airports or adding aircraft will take years." Instead, he argues, the continent must invert its priorities.
"We need to start with technology as a founding pillar," he said bluntly.
"Technology has to go first. It doesn't have to go last, that would be a mistake."
Unlike traditional infrastructure projects, which can take years to complete, digital solutions can be deployed rapidly and deliver immediate gains.
"Putting technology first can be done within the year and bring immediate effect in terms of savings, integration and optimisation," Bouri said.
He also pointed to a unique advantage Africa holds: the relative absence of legacy systems, which enables faster adoption of cutting-edge solutions.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"There is an opportunity to do it right from the beginning," he said.
"We can start from scratch and do the best... without the burden of old systems."
Technologies such as artificial intelligence, biometrics and cloud-based platforms all have a role to play in aviation efficiency, but only if deployed in an integrated manner.
"All of them will make a difference... if they are used in an integrated way," Bouri emphasised.
However, financing remains a critical barrier. Airports, often operating under tight budgets, cannot be expected to shoulder the burden alone.
"It would be unfair to ask airports to pay for everything," he said.
"Every investment they make serves the airlines and the governments."
Bouri called for new financing models that distribute costs across the aviation ecosystem, including governments and carriers, which is an approach SITA itself is promoting through concession and co-financing frameworks.
As Namibia and other African nations push ahead with ambitious aviation expansion plans, the message from industry experts is becoming increasingly clear that without parallel investment in smart, integrated technology, new terminals and runways risk becoming expensive bottlenecks rather than engines of growth.
