Introduction
The air transport industry plays a
critical role in economic development and in supporting long-term
economic growth. It facilitates a country's integration into the
global economy, and has the unique ability to quickly connect
countries to the global marketplace. The air transport industry
serves as a catalyst for economic growth. For Africa to realize its
full economic potential, it is essential that a safe, efficient,
and economically viable air transport system be in existence. This
requires employing capacity building initiatives, with the goal of
creating a sustainable air transport system.
The fundamental goal of capacity
building is to increase the ability to assess and respond to
critical concerns related to policy choices designed to enable the
system operate more efficiently. The first step in building
capacities in an effort to create a sustainable air transport
system in Africa is recognizing the air transport industry as a
system. A system is a group of interacting, interdependent, and
interrelated components working together to form a complex, unified
whole, working to achieve the same goal. In order for capacity
building initiatives in the air transport industry to create a
sustainable system, all elements of the system must be assessed,
individually and collectively.
Capacity
Building
The Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines capacity building as
the process by which individuals, groups and organizations,
institutions and countries develop, enhance and organize their
systems, resources and knowledge. The process is reflected in their
abilities, individually and collectively, to perform functions and
to achieve objectives. Capacity building encompasses three
elements: individual level, organizational level and the enabling
environment.
The individual level refers to
skills, experience and knowledge that are present in individuals.
Individuals are equipped with certain skills and knowledge that
allow them to perform their required functions. These skills are
acquired through formal and informal training, through various
experiences, and by learning and performing tasks. The
organizational level refers to internal procedures and frameworks
that allow an organization to operate and deliver its
responsibilities and that enables the fusion of individual
capabilities, working together to achieve goals. When these are
present and are properly aligned, synergy will exist, and the
performance of the organization will be greater than the sum of its
individual parts. The third component of capacity building is the
enabling environment. This is the broader system within which
individuals and organizations operate that facilitates or impedes
their existence and performance. The enabling environment includes
policies, legal framework, and essentially establishes the
framework within which individuals and organizations interact
between and among each other, within the system. To enable the
building of capacity of the air transport system in Africa, it is
essential that all components of capacity building, the individual,
organization and the enabling environment, be assessed as
individual systems, and as part of the larger system. This
evaluation would require assessment of the interaction of the
elements with each other, and with the air transport system as a
whole. Early approaches to capacity building involved a foreign
'technical expert', coming into a country for a short time to
provide expertise. These experts provided training and employed
train-the-trainer methods. Too often, though, little attention was
paid to the transfer of skills or the implementation of strategies
that would enable the creation of sustainable systems. Recognizing
that isolated training activities were insufficient to create
sustainable systems, a different method, recognizing all elements
of the system, is essential in building sustainable capacities. To
be sustainable, capacity building has to be viewed as a long-term
process, embraced by individuals, organization, and the enabling
environment who take ownership of the particular system. The role
of the expert would then be to facilitate the capacity building
process, rather than employ intervention methods that had been used
in the past.
The Air Transport
Industry
In the context of capacity building in the air transport system,
the individual component requires significant human resources
development. It is the process of providing individuals with the
requisite knowledge, skills, and training that enable them to
perform effectively. This is applicable to pilots, air traffic
controllers, managers, regulators, technical and administrative
personnel, and all individuals who are employed within the air
transport industry. Education and training are the foundation upon
which a successful air transport system is built. It involves
actions designed to enable individuals to increase their skills and
knowledge, and to develop the experience needed to achieve the
desired goal. Additionally, it ensures the availability of
personnel with the right skills to effectively execute their role
in operating a safe, efficient and economically viable air
transport system.
Organizations are intricately a
part of the air transport system, and include airlines, airports,
training institutions, and other public, private, and community
organizations with key roles in the system. Development of
organizations requires the establishment of procedures, processes,
and management and hierarchical structures that enable
organizations to effectively carry out their functions. These
elements provide the framework within which individual
organizations operate, and are essential in enabling them to
effectively carry out their functions. Organization development
also involves the interaction and management of relationships
between and among other organizations within the system. An
important aspect of managing these relationships is developing
partnerships. When partnerships are developed and engage in
collaborative activities, organizations also increase capabilities
and knowledge, enabling innovation to take place.
The enabling environment in the air
transport industry primarily encompasses governmental institutions
tasked with establishing policies and the legal framework that
enable organizations and institutions at all levels in the system
to enhance their capabilities. These would include ministries
tasked with establishing air transport policies, among others.
Effective capacity building enables
the ability of actors at various levels to perform effectively,
efficiently and in a sustainable manner in order to achieve similar
goals. To assess the effectiveness of capacity building, one must
evaluate four areas. These include institutional arrangements,
leadership, knowledge, and accountability. It is through these four
areas that capacity change occurs, and enables the development of
capacity building initiatives.
Conclusion
Successful capacity building in the
African air transport industry is a continuous process requiring an
effective enabling environment, appropriately structured
organizations, and the availability of skilled personnel. To
accomplish this, aviation professionals must employ a systems
thinking approach. This approach emphasizes the relationships
between and among a system's parts instead of the individual parts.
In viewing air transport as a system, challenges are viewed in the
context of its effects on the overall system, and resolving them
requires focus on the cyclical, rather than linear cause and
effects.
Capacity building requires the
interaction and intertwining of individual, organizations, and the
enabling environment. Successful capacity building is achieved by
managing the interactions between and among the elements in the
system, and is enhanced when resources are able to be mobilized and
when they are allocated effectively. To illustrate this point,
imagine the following scenario. An individual acquires training,
enhancing his or her skills, and becomes employed with an
organization.
The appropriate structure exists
within the organization, and it enables career advancement of the
individual. The enabling environment implements policies that
foster organizational growth, enabling the organization to thrive.
The organization's success would create additional employment
opportunities for individuals whose skills and knowledge are
aligned with the offerings of the organization. At the
organizational level, training institutions that do not have the
capabilities to offer the requisite training for a particular task
could partner with other institutions to provide the necessary
training, enabling the availability of skilled personnel. The issue
of capacity building in the air transport industry is crucial, and
the level of need is vast. Thus it is important that individuals,
organizations, governmental institutions begin to think in terms of
the air transport system as a whole, and not be concerned only with
the part as it relates to their specific responsibilities and
interests. When successful capacity building takes place, it
ensures the sustainable existence of a safe, efficient, and
economically viable air transport system in Africa.