At the recent annual Aviation Africa 2025 event in Kigali, the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA), under the leadership of Chair Dawit Lemma, engaged in a series of significant activities aimed at advancing the business aviation sector across the continent.
During a milestone meeting with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), discussions centred on creating and sharing valuable aviation data to enable the agency to advocate on behalf of AfBAA. Initiatives were agreed that will see AFCAC represent business aviation interests at national CAAs and external agencies such as ICAO. The associations will also jointly lobby for a single environmental abatement/tax plan for Africa and collaborate to improve safety, workforce creation, and infrastructure.
“Meeting with AFCAC was an important moment for AfBAA as it gave us the opportunity to share the nuances of business aviation and why it is essential to African economies. With this knowledge, AFCAC can better support us in conversations with government and regulatory bodies. Working in tandem with the Commission will improve African aviation for all stakeholders,” said Dawit Lemma, AfBAA Chairman.
During the event, AFBAA signed two MoUs — one with the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa (CAASA) and the other with the Airlines Association of South Africa (AASA). The MoUs recognise each organisation’s influence and provide a platform to align the groups on safety, security, and joint advocacy for the mutual benefit of their members. They also create a framework for joint engagement with regulatory and civil aviation authorities on specific regional and national issues.
“Business aviation does not operate in isolation, and by working closely with these established agencies, we can all contribute to raising aviation standards across the continent,” added Lemma. “We are excited to see where these co-operations lead and anticipate that the outcomes will enhance business aviation as we optimise each other’s strengths.”
AfBAA also held its first AGM under the new leadership, which featured a streamlined agenda, a structured debrief, and presentations on recent activities and future plans. Each project received the necessary time for discussion. The launch of a new RPAS committee was announced, reflecting the leadership’s commitment to expand membership to include all non-scheduled flying stakeholders in the association.
“We have already achieved a number of goals and committed to new projects, which, when presented at the AGM, were welcomed,” explained Lemma. “Just as we are dedicated to expanding and growing the association and its benefits for our members, we want our existing board to believe and trust that the direction we are taking is the right one. This was definitely secured during the AGM as we laid out plans for a directive strategic plan. We are excited to deliver on our activity for the coming year.”
