The President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency
Jakaya Kikwete, wants government, the private sector and other
partners in air transport industry to find sustainable solution to
the challenges facing air transport development in Africa.
President Kikwete, who performed the conference opening at the 17th
Aviation & Allied Business Leadership Conference in Dar es
Salaam, Tanzania says: "Air transport can play a very important
role in growth and development in Africa. It has been so in
advanced nations; it can be the same in Africa. The Conference,
with the theme: Air Transport In Africa: Strengthening Leadership,
Sustaining Growth, was organized by Aviation & Allied Business
Journal with support from the Tanzanian government and attended by
over 200 delegates.
He says: "Apart from security
challenges and safety issues, Africa's air transport industry is
facing a multitude of other challenges which impede its growth." He
calls for improved interface between the government and the private
sector in aviation development.
President Kikwete laments the high
cost of air travel among African city-pairs, as well as the
inability of the continent to take advantage of its comparative
advantage in agriculture "partly because of underdeveloped aviation
industry on the continent."
He calls for "growth, concerted
efforts, pooling together of resources, and working in solidarity
beyond our respective borders for African countries to succeed,"
noting that cooperation between and among African governments and
air transport establishments is vital now for the continent.