Safe Skies for Africa Program (SSFA)

 

 

 

Overview

 

Africa, a continent revitalized by change, is striving to become a full partner in the emerging global economy.  Safe, secure and dependable air transportation is vital to the economic development and well-being of the countries of Africa.  Developing a safe and secure aviation infrastructure is essential if African States want to develop strong economic and trade relationships with the United States, other nations and regions of the world.

 

To help Africa tap more of that potential, the United States created the Safe Skies for Africa Program (SSFA) to promote sustainable improvements in aviation safety and security in Africa, and to create the environment necessary to foster the growth of aviation services between Africa and the United States.  The United States wants to engage the countries of Africa as valued economic and aviation partners in a safe, secure, and liberalized environment. The Program recognizes that safe skies are a prerequisite for increased trade and investment, and long-term economic development in Africa. 

 

The Safe Skies for Africa Program is managed from U.S. Department of Transportation headquarters, Office of the Secretary.  The contact person is Cornelia (Connie) Wilson-Hunter, Manager, Safe Skies for Africa Program, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, Office of International Transportation and Trade, X-20, 202-366-9521, cornelia.hunter@dot.gov.

 

 

History

 

The Safe Skies for Africa Program was formally announced by former President Clinton on April 1, 1998.  The goals of the SSFA Program are to improve safety, security, and air navigation in sub-Saharan Africa.  The Program facilitates increased trade, helps attract investment and supports a growing tourism industry.

 

The global economy requires us to seek opportunities not just at home, but in markets around the world.  Africa is increasingly turning to free market economies, which will has shown to boost the continent’s global trade relationships.  By making African skies safer, we are not only helping the travelers in the region, we are investing in all that Africa offers for the American people and strengthening America’s relationship with Africa in the 21st century.

 

The original African States selected to participate in the SSFA Program were selected based on several criteria, including their interest in the Program and their stated commitment to improve their aviation systems.  The first eight countries selected were Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d’ Ivoire, Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe.  Namibia, Uganda, and Djibouti were added in June 2003.  Over the intervening years Safe Skies assistance has been expanded to provide assistance to groupings of African States which formed regional groups to share personnel and other resources to make up for the lack of qualified technical personnel in individual States.

 

The United States serves as a technical advisor and facilitator of actions to be taken by the African nations, with assistance from the private sector, regional institutions and international organizations.  The DOT, through its Federal Aviation Administration, (FAA) provides safety oversight technical assistance and training.   Through the Safe Skies Program partnerships with the Transportation Security Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board we are also able to provide aviation security, accident and incident technical assistance, and training.

 

 

Our fiscal 2009 year goals are as follows:

 

Goal 1 – Increase the number of sub-Saharan African Countries that meet the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards for aviation safety oversight.

-        Ensure individual state legislation and regulations comply with ICAO requirements

-        Provide technical assistance and training to member states

-        Leverage SSFA resources with partner public and private organizations to enhance civil aviation authorities

 

Goal 2 – Enhance aviation security at airports and expand regional security harmonization in the East African Community (EAC).

-        Ensure that SSFA Countries are using and maintaining security equipment

-        Enhance SSFA Countries ability to sustain improvements made in security oversight

 

Goal 3 – Improve regional air navigation services in Africa.

 -     Support and encourage adoption of enabling technologies and processes

 

Goal 4 – Foster ICAO-complaint aviation infrastructure focusing on staffing, training and meetings/conferences.

-        Increase SSFA internal capacity for training development and delivery, and reduce training costs

-        Assist SSFA Countries capability to conform to English language proficiency standards

 

Goal 5 – Help establish regional accident/incident investigation support structures and related disciplines.

-        Provide regional accident investigation assistance

-        Develop and implement accident investigation training

 

Goal 6 – Continue outreach and coordination with other US Government Departments, agencies, private sector organizations and like-minded countries and academia.

-        Establish new and enhanced continuing relationships in support of the SSFA Program

 

 

SSFA Activities and Accomplishments

 

One of the most significant contributions of the SSFA Program has been, through our outreach, the increasing emphasis African States are placing on adopting aviation laws and regulations required for compliance with ICAO standards.  Additionally, there is a more appreciative understanding of the link between a safe, secure aviation system and a State’s economic growth.  A majority of the SSFA Countries and regions with which we work now use the simplified and harmonized ICAO model aviation laws and regulations which are based on the best available systems in use.  This has been affected through our continuing engagement in conferences, summits, symposia, face-to-face meetings between U.S. and African aviation officials and through hands-on technical assistance.

 

Samples of the some SSFA Program activities and achievements by area of focus are:

 

Aviation Safety

 

·       In partnership with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the FAA developed model aviation regulatory documents consisting of civil aviation laws, regulations, implementing standards for flight operations, and continuing airworthiness surveillance of aircraft.  This detailed and comprehensive documentation provides what is needed by nations to develop their own “stand alone” civil aviation safety regulatory system.

 

·       In 2003, Cape Verde became the first of the SSFA Countries to meet ICAO safety standards and achieve FAA International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 for safety.  With this achievement, Cape Verde was approved to initiate regularly scheduled air services to the United States.  Data collected since that time has shown that Cape Verde’s economy has experienced exponential growth since this achievement.

 

·       On November 30, 2007, the Heads of State for the East African Community States (Kenya/Tanzania/Uganda) approved the establishment of the first fully operational regional safety and security oversight organization on the continent of Africa.

 

 

Air Navigation

 

  • We are engaging in outreach activities In order to introduce our African partners to emerging and next generation air navigation. In particular the U.S.- developed Global Positioning Satellite System (GPS) for aeronautical radio navigation, and the universal access transceiver (UAT) for Automatic Dependent Systems-Broadcast (ADS-B) surveillance functions which are less expensive than some ground based radar systems and can provide a “radar-like” environment.

 

  • Safe Skies funded an International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the FAA partnership to develop Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) procedures for 28 airports in 15 states in the Southern African Development Community and Kenya.  The GNSS procedures enable aircraft to approach and land at airports in the region utilizing satellite technology – with potential benefits of reducing delays, diversions, overflights and cancellations due to bad weather.  Development of the procedures was completed in three stages.
    • The initial stage conducted geodetic surveys at each of the airports.
    • The second stage developed 104 GNSS procedures for all the airports.
    • The final stage flight inspected and certified every GNSS procedure to ensure that they met ICAO requirements.

 

Aviation Security

 

  • The World Trade Center bombing, the events of September 11, 2001 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in new international aviation focused security requirements, processes and procedures affect the ability of African nations’ air carriers to operate in the global environment.  This has created a need to assist African nations to achieve and maintain compliance with enhanced ICAO aviation security requirements.  Working with our partner the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) the Safe Skies Program has provided training for over 600 airport security personnel.

 

  • Working with TSA the Safe Skies Program has provided consultative services through aviation security workshops for over 200 persons in Africa, as well as assistance with the purchase, installation and maintenance of passenger and baggage screening equipment.  Engineers and technicians have been certified to repair and maintain SSFA donated security equipment.

 

Airports

 

  • Wildlife habitation close to and around airports in Africa is an acute problem.  SSFA Program partners conducted wildlife hazard assessments and training for airport personnel in West and East Africa.  Approximately 105 airport personnel were trained in the management of wildlife in and around airport facilities.

 

Capacity Building

 

  • Using the resources of our partners at the FAA Academy’s International Training Division, the SSFA Program has been able to provide specialized training to our African partners.  Additionally, the expertise of the FAA Academy is being used to transfer knowledge to African regions and States to increase their internal capacity for training development and delivery resulting in expanded knowledge base and reduce training costs.

 

Accident/Incident Investigation

 

·       Through our partnership with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) the Safe Skies Program is able to provide a dedicated expert to provide training and technical assistance in matters related to aviation accident and investigative capacity. The NTSB expert also provides consultative services has been invaluable in providing tools and techniques to allow African States’ investigative personnel to evaluate causal data hopefully leading to the prevention of future aviation accidents and incidents.

 

 

SSFA Partners

 

In order to successfully achieve the goals and objectives of the SSFA Program, SSFA partners with the following organizations:

 

The Federal Aviation Administration: http://www.faa.gov/

 

The Transportation Security Administration: http://www.tsa.gov/index.shtm

 

The National Transportation Safety Board: http://www.ntsb.gov/

 

Millennium Challenge Corporation: http://www.mcc.gov/

 

Export-Import Bank of the United States: http://www.exim.gov/

 

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency: http://www.ustda.gov/

 

The Office of the United States Trade Representative: http://www.ustr.gov/

 

The U.S. Department of Defense (AFRICOM): http://www.defenselink.mil/

 

The U.S. Department of State:  http://www.state.gov/

 

The World Bank Group:  http://www.worldbank.org/; see Air Transport

 

International Civil Aviation Organization:  http://www2.icao.int/en/acip/Pages/default.aspx