Thursday, March 28, 2024

Zambian Parliament unanimously adopts report on Single Africa Air Transport

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Zambian Parliament yesterday unanimously agreed and adopted a Committee Report on Single African Air Transport Market.

The report focuses on the Proposal to ratify the Yamoussoukro Decision Concerning the Single African Air Transport Market.

Chairperson of the Committee on Transport, Works and Supply Douglas Syakalima explained that the report that was laid on the table of the House on November 5, 2020 will trigger economic growth.

Mr Syakalima who is also Chirundu MP pointed out that once implemented the Single Africa Air Transport Market will bring about new routes to the country.

“Madam Speaker, this report from the committee that I am privileged to chair has a lot of benefits to the country. Among them it will increase the number of people coming to the country which is good for our tourism and we will have more new air routes in the country and this will extend air traffic rights,” he stated.

And Acting Minister of Transport and Communications Vincent Mwale cited a number of benefits that will come with the adoption of the Single African Air Transport Market.

Mr Mwale explained that the adoption will enhance air connectivity in the country.

“This is an opportunity for the country to have an increased inflow of tourists in the country which is key to our economy. This will also create new business opportunities and trade in Africa and beyond. Not only that, under the Single Africa Air Transport Market will transform our country into a transport hub and create new benefits,” Mr Mwale explained.

The Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) is a flagship project of the African Union Agenda 2063, an initiative of the African Union to create a single unified air transport market in Africa to advance the liberalization of civil aviation in Africa and act as an impetus to the continent’s economic integration agenda.

9 COMMENTS

  1. Can we hear comments/suggestions from both the UPND & PF generals, these are things we should be putting our efforts on to suggest pros and cons of such moves.

  2. Everything is being presented as if it’s a certainty. My goodness me, we’re being misgoverned. A parliament that knows what it is supposed to do would ask how exactly it would work? I’m not convinced yet because the rivalry anglophone and francophone countries is a reality on this continent. We don’t even hv a regional air transport market yet but we expect a continental one to work. It’s regional markets that would build the continental market.

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  3. When a government runs out of ideas, this is the case. Always focusing on foreigners coming to your country, not developing the Zambian human potential. Everytime its about foreign investors. Foreigners have taken over entire city centres & markets. Zambians are sidelined to the streets. Vote out pf. I have registered to vote

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  4. It lacks detail so how do we comment. It’s like saying we have the AU when each country governs itself or should I say misgovern? What do you mean by single market? Is it to close doors to non African operators or it’s to have a single African carrier?

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  5. Its easier said than done especially when you have Gov’ts with shares in National airlines….Yamoussoukro has been on the table for 30 years now.

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  6. It is always amusing to see upnd diasporans commenting on Zambian internal matters when they are not paying a single tax to our country but only to their colonial masters. They always say that those who don’t contribute anything tend to be very vocal. Napita

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  7. Reporting needs to improve. Such developments need to be broken down to show what they will mean to the man in the street. Make it be understood by the reader

  8. It looks like there is a lot of uninformed people on this thread about this issue. People, please make an effort to learn your history as a continent. The problem this report is trying to addressi and solve traces its. origins to the era of imperial domination of Africa by the European powers. During the partitioning of Africa at the Berlin Conference in Germany in 1884, most of the African Airspace was closed due to hostile attitudes among the various colonial powers towards each another. Unfortunately, these restrictions/closures have, by and large, stayed in place to this day. I mean, does anybody think this is good for both economic growth and Trade in African?

    The Berlin Conference of 1884 consigned Africa to a second class continent in many ways than we realize. Even…

  9. Continue….

    in today’s Africa, it is still complicated to fly a straight route from one African country to another (unlike in Europe.) In fact, in most circumstances it is easier to fly into Europe and then drop back down into Africa…..this is very common especially when flying to West or North Africa. Now you can just imagine how arrangements like these have contributed to the abysmal growth of INTRA-AFRICA trade.

    Similar scenarios were implemented in many industries, including telecommunications. If I am not mistaken, even to this day certain countries in Africa stiill route their telephone communications (international exchanges) to Europe and then rerouted back to the intended country in African……sometimes you will find that these countries are right next to each…

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