CANSO Director General: Mr Jeff Poole
CANSO Exco
CANSO Africa Office Leadership
Leadership of ICAO
Leadership of IATA
Chairman of Air Traffic and Navigation Services: Capt Mpho Mamashela
CEO of Air Traffic and Navigation Services: Mr. Thabani Mthiyane
CEOs of Air Navigation Services Providers and Civil Aviation Authorities present here
Local and International Business Sector
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Introducation
Programme Director;
I thank you for the honor of being able to address the leadership and delegates of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Global Air Traffic Management Summit and the 19th Annual General Meeting today.
May I request everyone present here to stand-up and observe a minute’s silence – in memory of the hundreds of passengers and crew - who lost their lives in air disasters, in the recent past.
The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Global Air Traffic Management Summit and 19th Annual General Meeting is taking place against the backdrop of Africa commemorating the 52nd Anniversary of the African Union (AU). The AU Summit ends today in Sandton, Gauteng Province.
Today, at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century, there is an invigorating mood of confidence in the future of the African region, similar to that which marked the 1960s when the majority of African countries became independent.
Once again, Africans are proudly asserting their independent voice within the international community and setting the agenda, direction and pace of change in the region. Internationally, Africa is also once again cogently spoken of as a continent of great untapped potential that is poised to play a more significant role in the global arena.
Tomorrow, the 16th of June, we will be celebrating the lives of thousands of black South African youth, who in June 16, 1976, violently lost their lives at the hands of the then South African Police and the army.
It is a day etched on the South African collective conscience. June 16th changed the course of the country’s history. To those who are not well-versed with our country’s history, Bantu education was introduced by the Nationalist Party in 1954.
Black schools were poorly equipped, with no science laboratories as they were not expected to study or choose science related fields. There were no sports fields, and often no libraries. Many children dropped out of schools.
On this day, youth from all four corners of this country took to the street, in defiance against the education system and being taught in Afrikaans. It is through the bravery of their actions, their lives and their blood, that we celebrate freedom and democracy. Indeed today’s Youth still holds the baton and are Moving South Africa Forward.
South Africa on the new trajectory of development: Third decade of freedom and democracy: Transport the heartbeat of South Africa’s socio-economic development
Ladies and gentlemen;
It has been twenty-one years since we began a new journey. This was a must-win journey to eradicate the oppressive legacy of colonialism and apartheid. Many will agree with me that our journey continues. As the transport sector, we are implementing radical socio-economic transformation programmes primarily to address the twin-evil challenges of poverty and unemployment, inequality completing the equation.
Through some of our efficient and effective modes of transportation, we are able to promote nation building and social solidarity in our quest to free our economy from the shackles of our unforgettable past.
Indeed, the South Africa’s National Development Plan Vision 2030 published in November 2011 by the National Planning Commission, details the need for a new approach to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality in South Africa.
The Department of Transport’s contribution to the NDP is underpinned by the National Transport Master Plan (NATMAP) 2050 vision. The NATMAP is aimed at delivering a dynamic, long-term and sustainable transportation system framework which is demand-responsive and that provides a coordinated transport agenda for the whole country.
The NATMAP emphasises the importance of Transport as a mover of people, goods and services, and the heartbeat that moves economies that significantly contributes to the fabric of our socio-economic development agenda.
The Transport sector continues to be a powerful catalyst for South Africa’s economic connectivity and growth.The commitment we made and continue to deliver on as the national Department of Transport is to implement the National Development Plan’s (NDP) key priorities on the maintenance of road infrastructure, upgrading rail infrastructure and services, as well as building and operating our public transportation.
The African single air transport market and Agenda 2063
Ladies and Gentlemen,
South Africa has been at the forefront of regional cooperation. We strive for a solid Pan African solidarity towards the achievement of a brighter future for all the citizenry of the continent.
We support the AU’s call that “Africa must do things very differently to take advantage of the current momentum towards 2063. It is for this reason that we say, through events like this, we aim to encourage discussion among all stakeholders within the aviation industry.
We need an approach that can determine how the continent can, and should effectively learn from the lessons of the past, to strategically exploit all possible opportunities available in the immediate and medium term, so as to ensure positive socioeconomic transformation, within the next 20 to 50 years. And that includes investing in the core driver of the economy – which is air transportation.
In January of this year, the Department of Transport was the proud host and an active participant in an unprecedented meeting of African Ministerial working group on the establishment of a single air transport market in Africa.
The Ministerial Working Group is composed of members of the current Bureau of the Conference of the African Ministers of Transport (CAMT) and Ministers from a select total number of fifteen states representing each region of the African Union with various aviation backgrounds.
The meeting was convened with the main objective of engaging the Ministers and seeking their guidance on the implementation of this major continental initiative in the air transport industry. The specific objectives of the meeting were to:
- Highlight to the Ministers the benefits of full liberalisation and unification of air transport markets in Africa;
- Apprise the Ministers of the actions taken so far in the implementation of the Summit Decision regarding the establishment of a Single Air Transport Market in Africa; and
- Sensitise the Ministers on the need to promote the initiative and request Heads of State and Government to support the establishment of the Single African Air Transport Market as well as express the readiness of their States to enter into an open skies agreement with other African countries, during the January 2015 AU Summit.
The aviation industry
Ladies and gentlemen;
You can truelly attest to the fact that the aviation industry is a real world wide web – a network of airlines, airports and air traffic control organisations that link the major cities and small communities of the world 24 hours a day with very advanced aircrafts. According to recent research, Aviation provides some 56.6 million jobs worldwide and $2.2 trillion of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Air Travel allows people to build business relationships and to visit friends and family. As our global economy grows ever more linked, aviation is the factor that brings people together. This industry is very important because air travel creates jobs and drives economic growth.
The practical implementation of regional space harmonisation, knowledge sharing to improve safety and operational improvements such as the use of Performance Based Navigation (PBN), further cements the importance of organisation such CANSO Global and its respective regions.
Most critically, Programme Director, we are all cognisant of global warming and commend CANSO’s unique way of addressing environmental impacts. In this instance what comes to mind is PBN which improves safety, increases capacity and efficiency, and reduces the environmental impact of air traffic.
The aviation industry transformation agenda
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As you deliberate on issues of safety, operations and policy; please also discuss the need for transforming the Air Traffic Management space.
But what is glaringly obvious as evidenced by this Summit’s delegates attendance; is that the transformation discussion and implelementation needs to begin simultaneously at CANSO Global and at Regional Chapters of the organisation.
The slow pace of transformation within the aviation sector has direct implications on the skills gap and emancipation for women.
I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the work done by the Southern African Women in Aviation & Aerospace (SAWIA) in the past few years. SAWIA provides support structures and resources to women in Aviation and Aerospace. It aims, through empowering women, to meaningfully contribute to a more equitable representation of women in all sectors in the southern African aviation industry.
Organisations such as SAWIA need to be prioritised and supported to accelarate the development of women and girl children. The aviation industry cannot afford to lose on the vast human capital that could be yielded by a transformed aviation industry.
The trailblazers, the Pioneering women of aviation, like:
Elizabeth “Bessie” Coleman: an African American, overcame many challenges on her way to becoming the first African American woman to earn a pilot license this day, in 1921.
Svetlana Savitskaya: The first woman to walk in space. She was from Moscow.
Amy Johnson: A British pilot: She was the first woman to fly from London, England to Australia solo, the first (along with Jack Humphries as co-pilot) to fly from London to Moscow, and set speed records for flying to Japan, and Cape Town, South Africa.
Sabiha Gokcen: The first Turkish woman to earn a pilot license and the first woman in the world to fly a plane in a combat role.
Harriet Quimby: The first woman to earn a pilot license in the United States, in August 1911. She flew across the English Chanel, the first woman to do so.
Raymonde de Laroche: The first woman in the world to earn a pilot license. She was awarded license number 36 by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, on March 8th, 1910.
These women overcame many challenges to be recognised in this industry. In all these pioneers none comes from the African region and this is a challenge to the CANSO Africa region.
We are in the 21st century, it is time we change the narrative by opening doors of access and opportunity and be the change we want to see. Transformation of this industry is possible to the willing.
Our message to CANSO is while you strategically plan for the transformation of global Air Traffic Management Performance, let it be part of your Vision 2020 to address the gender parity and be a pioneer of change.
Together, let’s build the future we want see.
I wish you productive and ground breaking engagements further. The Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation Global Air Traffic Management Summit and 19th Annual General Meeting are declared officially opened.
I thank you.
