Aviation experts at Uganda Regional Workshops have issued warnings on fragmented surveillance structures across Africa's airspace, warning that progress in aviation safety on the continent could stall without deeper cooperation between monitoring agencies.
At the RSOOS-RAIO verification workshop in Kampala, stakeholders highlighted the urgent need for stronger cooperation between the local safety monitoring organization (RSOO) and the local accident and incident investigation agency (RAIOS).
Participants agreed that fragmented systems and underinvestment in these entities will continue to hinder efforts to ensure the safety of air transport across Africa.
Farid Ziz, president of French Air Civic Services (FACS), said trust, transparency and well-defined value-added activities must pay for local aviation surveillance. In a paper entitled “AFI RSOO: Creating Value Added to Member States,” he argued that RSOO risks showing measurable benefits to Member States or losing its relevance.
He said cooperation was not only desirable, but fundamental. “Only active collaboration can create the kind of value added that makes local surveillance effective and sustainable,” Zizu said. He has helped the national civil aviation authorities manage their surveillance responsibilities more efficiently, seeking practical initiatives such as joint audits, cooperative safety monitoring and joint inspections.
He pointed out that the challenge is to persuade the state to invest in surveillance structures they perceive as far or redundant. However, if member states see credible results, Zizu believes that trust in RSOO will grow.
Colonel Lawrence Jala, commissioner of the Gambia Accident Investigation Committee, emphasized how the continent's capabilities for accident investigations are limited. Africa currently operates only a fully functional RAIO (Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (Bagaia)), and even that agency faces challenges related to regional resource constraints and lack of uniform support.
Jarra warned that without a broader investment in Raios, the continent could struggle to provide timely safety recommendations. This is essential to prevent accidents and repeated accidents. “Fragmented systems can't hinder us,” he said. He said that a comprehensive local framework is essential for secure airspace management.
The Kampala Workshop has brought together several senior representatives of African Aviation Authority, including Ghana's Director of Aircraft Accidents and Commissioner of Incident Investigation and Prevention. Ghana's involvement continued to promote stronger continental cooperation in both accident investigations and safety monitoring.
Throughout the session, representatives agreed that aviation security governance in Africa requires more than financial resources. They said what they need is a new commitment to transparency, local solidarity and operational accountability.
Zizu reiterated that strengthening the power of RSOO can also indirectly strengthen Raios. He argued that an aligned strategy would minimize incident backlogs, eliminate overlapping efforts, and ensure harmonious enforcement of cross-border safety regulations.
The workshop concluded with the consensus that Africa needs to accelerate its efforts to build integrated safety monitoring and research systems, particularly while advances are being made in frameworks such as Baggaia. Otherwise, it could threaten the rapid growth and competitiveness of the continental aviation sector.
The Kampala gathering shows important steps towards that goal. By bringing together voices from across the continent, we have set the foundation for a more unified, resilient, safer air transport industry.
