APIRG/27 and RASG/10: The transition to a new organisational structure in the AFI Region
Published: Wednesday, 20 November 2024 17:32
The 27th meeting of the African and Indian Ocean Regional Planning and Implementation Group (APIRG) and the 10th meeting of the Regional Aviation Safety Group for the African and Indian Ocean Region (RASG-AFI) were held from 4 to 8 November 2024 in East London, South Africa.
These strategic meetings were attended by several delegations from some forty African States, international organisations and associations (ICAO, CAFAC, IATA, AFRAA, ARMA, etc.), air navigation service providers and airport managers (ATNS, AFPP, SAA) and regional safety oversight organisations (AAMAC, BAGASOO, CASSOA, SASO).
The joint session and the APIRG meeting were chaired by Ms Assoumou Koki Paule, Director General of the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority and Chair of APIRG. The RASG meeting was chaired by Mr Fred Bamwesigye, Director General of the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman of the RASG-AFI. He was assisted by Mr Diaga Basse, Director General of the Agence Nationale de l'Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie du Sénégal and Vice-Chairman of the RASG-AFI.
This meeting marked an important stage in air navigation planning and safety management in the AFI Region, following the decision to merge APIRG and RASG, which was ratified in Libreville last July. These were the previous sessions of the APIRG and RASG-AFI, before the transition to the new merged entity known as the African-Indian Ocean Aviation System Planning and Implementation Group (AASPG).
At the end of the meeting, several important decisions were made regarding the challenges facing the aviation sector in the AFI region. These included
- the adoption of the Africa-Indian Ocean Group Aviation System Planning and Implementation Procedures Manual (AASPG);
- the publication of the second edition of the Annual Air Navigation Report;
- the update of the ATM Master Plan for the AFI region;
- updating the AFI Navigation Strategy;
- the establishment of National Coordination Committees for planning and implementation;
- the development and strengthening of aircraft accident investigation expertise in the AFI region;
- the implementation of qualification criteria for aviation safety inspectors;
- improving the safety of flight operations in Africa;
- strengthening the involvement of AFI States in airspace management over the South Atlantic (SAT).
Cameroon has thus made a major contribution to the results of this work through information notes and proposals for conclusions, which were favourably received by the participants.
These important meetings also served as a framework for ICAO to celebrate its eight decades of existence. Indeed, the States and organisations present joined ICAO in commemorating the 80th anniversary of its creation under the theme ‘Safe skies, sustainable future ‘.
The APIRG and RASG-AFI groups were set up by the ICAO Council to meet the specific needs of the AFI region. The APIRG group was created in 1980 following the recommendations of the sixth AFI regional air navigation meeting in 1979 and is mainly focused on the planning and developing air navigation infrastructures. The RASG-AFI group was established in 2010 at the 190th Session of the ICAO Council and is dedicated to managing aviation safety issues in the region.
Finally, at the end of this meeting, a special tribute was paid to Mrs Assoumou Koki Paule, Director General of the Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority and President of APIRG, for their commitment and involvement in the development of civil aviation in the AFI Region and beyond. Mrs Assoumou Koki Paule distinguished herself remarkably as President of the 14th ICAO Air Navigation Conference, thus contributing to Africa's global influence.
ZO'O MINTO'O Prosper, Director of the ICAO Regional Office for West and Central Africa, was brilliantly elected as the new Director General of the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA) with effect from 1 January 2025.
An appointment has been made for the first meeting of the new AASPG group in 2025 in Gabon.
BEMBA Patrick/ SEGC
