Kigali, 14 November 2017: The Minister of Infrastructure Hon. James Musoni officiated the celebration of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) Day that took place at Kigali Marriott Hotel as the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) Annual General Assembly was drawing to a close. The festivities were attended by other dignitaries including Government officials, Ambassadors, Representatives of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), International Air Transport Association (IATA) and numerous Airline representatives.

The Yamoussoukro Decision was adopted in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire in 1999 and endorsed by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union (AU) in Lome, Togo on 12 July 2000. This year, the AU Summit recommended the celebration of YD each 14th November of every year at National, Regional and Continental levels as an occasion to raise awareness on the opportunities and general benefits linked to the liberalization of African air transportation. The 2017 celebration was under the theme of “Launching the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) January 2018”.

In January 2015, the declaration of Solemn Commitment by African states to open up their skies was signed initially by 11 states at the African Union summit, and since then 12 more states have appended their signature to the same.

These African states include; Rwanda, South Africa, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe.

The Government of Rwanda, in addition to signing the Solemn Commitment, has also taken pragmatic steps to implement the provisions of the YD, like notifying other states in writing on the readiness to fully implement the YD as well as reviewing and signing 23 Bilateral Air Service Agreements to ease the movement of people and goods within the African continent and beyond.

Speaking at the occasion, the Minister of Infrastructure Hon. James Musoni called upon the countries that are not yet on board to join in the positive effort. In his words, he stated “Liberalizing the African skies has been quite a journey. Albeit slow, the process has been positive overall. It has highlighted the consistent and concerted effort by Africans and for Africans to realize the numerous advantages of a Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)”. He also noted that the celebration of the Decision signals the commitment of African countries to understand the gains of implementing the YD in order to create the Single African Air Transport Market, which will bring about social, economic and political benefits to the African population.

The Minister of Infrastructure further emphasized the need for cooperation among all key stakeholders from across the continent in putting in place the required Regulatory Instruments for the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD), which is a key factor to fast-track its implementation.