EFF welcomes Africa’s bid for open skies following a joint African airline agreement among fifteen countries

28 November 2022

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) welcomes Africa's bid for open skies following the launch of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a joint airline between African 15 countries as a significant milestone towards African independence.

This comes after ministers from Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, South Africa, Cape Verde, Cöte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Ghana, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo and Zambia, agreed to launch the SAATM flights between their territories during a meeting in Dakar, Senegal, earlier this month to mark the 23rd anniversary of the Yamoussoukro Decision.

The announcement is a major boost to the proposed joint airline by Kenya Airways and South African Airways, which will have immediate and unlimited access to key markets on the continent as both countries will be participating in the trial runs.

This move signifies Africa's independence and sovereignty and symbolises the beginning of the end of imperialism and western dominance over Africa and its riches.

The move is one step closer to meeting the goals of the Agenda 2063, which we believe should be attained much sooner and closer monitoring systems be implemented in monitoring these goals.

The movement of African people will no longer be micro-managed by the West, thus enabling Africa to trade skills and resources within the continent without Neo-Liberalism and monopoly over airline services. In addition, the African continent must also push for the implementation of the Protocol For the Free Movement of the African People, which will see Africans using a Common African passport that was meant to be rolled out in the year 2016.

The major objective of the Yamoussoukro decision was to improve connectivity and integration of Africa through liberalisation of scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services and removing all restrictions on traffic rights, capacity and frequency between city pairs for all African airlines, which the continent has been struggling to actualise.

The EFF believes that the implementation of SAATM, will be cost effective for the African people and further unite African countries and strengthen their economies, making the implementation of the AfCFTA agreement more efficient. According to a recent study by the African Union on the potential benefits of SAATM implementation, the continent would gain an additional $4.2 billion in GDP, 596,000 new jobs and a 27 percent reduction in air fares.

We wish the 15 states well as they are expected to cement their decision further by aligning their respective air service agreements to the SAATM regime when they again meet during this year's International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation in Abuja on 5 December, 2022.

The EFF will continue to fight and advocate for a united Africa and total liberation from colonisers.

Issued by Sinawo Thambo, National Spokesperson, EFF, 28 November 2022