President, African Development Bank (AfDB),  Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, says the African aviation sector accounts for
About nine per cent of aircraft accidents yearly and 37 per cent of
Aviation fatalities globally.

He said this while speaking, in Abuja.

He added that though the sector fared better in 2016, it still remained the riskiest skies to fly in.

He said the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by the bank
and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) was to seek
ways to boost the African aviation sector to better serve the teeming
populace.

“First is, we are very concerned about the issue of air safety.

“Africa, last year, did very well. It was one of the safest skies last
year but it has not always been that way, so we are improving but that
does not mean that we must actually rest on our oars on this.

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“So one of the things that we will be focusing on in the
collaboration with IATA is how to improve investments from the bank
and others on air navigation infrastructure, improving safety records
and also making sure that we also improve the training facilities for
the engineers, the air control traffic managers.

“We are also looking at how to help to de-risk the market for
accessing finance for infrastructure, in particular, air craft
acquisition.

“So these are the broad terms of the things that we are going to be
working on but our focus is to make the aviation industry more
competitive; deregulate the sector and make it more efficient.

“Hopefully, also have financing that allows aircraft expansion to be
able to cope with the rapidly increasing number of passengers that
Africa needs and would have.’’

The MoU was signed on Tuesday in Abuja, on the sidelines of the
International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) World Aviation
Forum.

The forum is themed: “Financing the Development of Aviation Infrastructure.” (NAN)