AfCFTA Head calls for open skies as a persistent obstacle to African trade.
Algiers, Algeria – A persistent barrier to smooth intra-African trade lurks over the aspirations of thousands of entrepreneurs, investors, and officials gathered at IATF2025: the incapacity to travel effectively throughout the continent. In order to tackle this issue head-on, Secretary-General H.E. Wamkele Mene of the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has reiterated calls for the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), a flagship project that aims to liberalize air travel among African nations.
Mene criticized the existing inefficiencies that require African delegates to travel to Europe merely to attend events on the continent during a panel discussion at the trade show. He stated that low air connectivity continues to be a major barrier to trade, logistics, and investment, especially for African SMEs that cannot afford such inefficiencies. “It should not take longer or cost more to fly from Accra to Algiers than from Accra to London,” he remarked.
The Secretary-General stressed that trade integration cannot be successful without physical integration, pointing out that the division of air transport restricts the advantages of the AfCFTA, hinders cargo transit, and adds needless costs to business operations. “When our skies remain closed, you cannot discuss free trade in Africa,” he stated.
Mene emphasized that reaching Africa’s full trade potential will require political will beyond policy documents, as he praised the IATF as a vibrant marketplace where actual business agreements are occurring over an estimated $44 billion in investment commitments. Concerns from national carriers and the absence of standardized aviation frameworks have hindered the adoption of SAATM, which was introduced in 2018, he called on African governments to fully implement the program.
Mene’s message was succinct for the entrepreneurs and business executives present at IATF2025: unleashing Africa’s skies is not only a matter of aviation; it is also a matter of economic need. The AfCFTA Secretariat urged strong action to make sure that African entrepreneurs are not left stranded in a time when efficiency and time define competitiveness.
Reported by: Anthony Williams
