More than thirty-five aviation experts gathered for a two-day Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) Awareness Workshop in Juba, South Sudan, from 15–16 July 2024. The workshop was organized by the East African Community (EAC) under the Support to Air Transport Sector Development (SATSD) project in the Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, and Indian Ocean (EA-SA-IO) Region.
The Juba workshop aimed to help South Sudan fully understand the requirements and benefits of joining SAATM. Following the workshop, it is hoped that South Sudan will work towards operationalizing the Single African Air Transport Market and strengthening the regulatory and institutional capacity of its civil aviation institutions.
Undersecretary Adv. Benny Gideon Mabor of the Ministry of East African Community Affairs-South Sudan emphasized the potential benefits of SAATM for the country. “South Sudan, being the center of the continent to every destination in Africa and worldwide, has much to gain from the full operationalization of SAATM,” he said.
He highlighted that becoming a hub could create employment, boost trade and tourism, generate more revenue, and offer competitive fares. “I believe that after this workshop, officials will clearly understand the benefits of the Single African Air Transport Market, the regulatory and institutional framework of the Yamoussoukro Decision, and the steps required to operationalize SAATM.”
On behalf of the Secretary-General, COMESA Director of Infrastructure & Logistics, Dr. Bernard Dzawanda, thanked the EAC for facilitating the engagement, given that South Sudan is not a COMESA member. The EAC’s support towards the implementation of SATSD, funded by the European Union to the tune of 8 million Euros, was also acknowledged.
“South Sudan is among the many African countries facing air transport challenges such as high fuel prices, expensive air tickets, and visa restrictions that hinder citizens’ access to other African destinations. “The main objective of this workshop is to create awareness of SAATM,” said Dr. Dzawanda.
He added that while many air transport markets outside Africa have been liberalized significantly, most intra-African air transport markets remain largely closed. This he said affects air connectivity within Africa as air travel costs remain prohibitive, limiting potential economic growth and trade.
Dr. Dzawanda urged South Sudan to join the other African Union member states already benefiting from a liberalized African Air Transport Market. SAATM is one of the fifteen African Union flagship projects for Agenda 2063, aimed at creating a single unified air transport market on the continent to boost economic integration and growth.
Since its launch in 2018, 37 Member States have signed the Solemn Commitment to establish SAATM. Of the 18 Member States that have not signed, 15 are in the Eastern Africa, Southern Africa, and Indian Ocean Region. One factor contributing to the slow uptake of the Decision’s principles is the lack of clear and specific information regarding the impacts and potential benefits of such liberalization.