On July 16, a five-day conference on aviation safety and security opened in Nairobi with experts calling on the African governments to made improvements in this field.

The 19th African Civil Aviation Commission, a specialized body of the African Union charged with the responsibility of handling civil aviation matters in the continent, is discussing challenges which hinder the development and operations of the continent's aviation industry.

There was a growing concern internationally about the safety of civil aviation in Africa, said International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Secretary General Taleb Cherif in his opening remarks, urging the authorities to make their skies safer.

Cherif urged stakeholders in the aviation industry in Africa to collaborate and utilize their skills and knowledge in safety oversight, noting that a safe African airspace would naturally accelerate growth within the industry and lead to a reduction in the cost of doing business on the continent.

"Over the past few years, there have been numerous acknowledgements within the African aviation community on the need to improve safety and bring the accident rate in line with the world average," said Cherif.

"A safe and secure air transport system can be a catalyst for the economic growth of nations and regions. Conversely, an air transport system that is not perceived to be safe and secure by other countries can effectively bar entry into lucrative global markets and stunt economic growth," he said.

EU's Blacklist

The ICAO chief said safety concerns prompted the European Union to place a number of African carriers on a blacklist from its airspace last year.

The ban, the EU's first ever such blacklist, works on the principle that an airline banned in one of the bloc's 25 member states will be outlawed by all of them.

Figures compiled by the 53-member African Union show that while Africa handles just 4 to 5 percent of the world's air traffic, its airlines are responsible for a third of all fatal air crashes.

Kenya's Transport Minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere said there was need for Africa to ensure provision of a safe and secure aviation environment in order to enhance the continent's capability to compete in the global air transport industry.

Mwakwere said, however, that despite several constraints, air transport has steadily grown, linking most African countries to the rest of the world thus contributing to intra-African trade.

"Air transport in our continent is key to the economic growth since it is crucial to regional integrations in particular and development of Africa in general," said the minister.

He cited financial constraints, high cost of air tickets and air connectivity as some of the challenges facing aviation industry in Africa.

"The costs of air tickets within Africa remain high thereby discouraging the promotion of tourism and trade in the continent. Some of the air services on offer are also unreliable, and the safety of our skies has remained in question," said Mwakwere.

"All these challenges point to an urgent need for Africa to strengthen the technical and human capacities in the aviation industry."