Kigali, 27 February 2019 - President Paul Kagame has said that despite being a landlocked country, there is no excuse for Rwanda to remain underdeveloped because being air-linked freezes the disadvantages that would be presented by lack of direct access to sea coasts.

The President made the remarks as he officiated the opening ceremony of the fourth edition of Aviation Africa Summit & Exhibition - the major trade event for the aerospace and defense industries, being held at Kigali Convention Centre from the 27 to 28 February, 2019.

The President noted that Rwanda will continue investing in the aviation sector as one of the ways through which transport costs challenges shall be addressed.

“Sixteen countries in Africa are landlocked, including Rwanda. That is almost one-third of Africa. But every country is “air-linked”. So geography should not be seen as an excuse for underdevelopment. This highlights the importance of regional integration, where there have been some notable achievements over the last year. Chief among these, for our purposes, is the adoption of the Single African Air Transport Market. However, the full promise of this pact only becomes apparent in the wider context of the African Continental Free Trade Area and the Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, which we also signed last year — a number of countries. Initiatives like the common-format African passport, and the push to remove visa requirements for Africans traveling in Africa, are also significant developments" President Kagame said.

The President emphasized that it was important to attract more countries to join the Single African Air Transport Market and to fully implement its provisions instead of adopting protectionism policies.

“Protectionism among ourselves is a short-sighted policy, which only serves to keep our continental market fragmented, inefficient, and expensive, thereby reducing opportunities for African firms. Removing barriers on the movement of goods and people means there will be steadily increasing demand for commercial air services in the years ahead" President Kagame said.

President Kagame further promised that Rwanda intended to continue investing in aviation infrastructure, including growing the national carrier, RwandAir, and inaugurating a new state-of-the-art international airport in the near future.

In his welcome remarks, Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Claver Gatete, said that statistics indicate that the aviation industry is a major contributor to global economic prosperity. According to Air Transport Action Group 2018 report, Air transport supports over four billion passengers annually.

“This has increased access to international markets. Furthermore, nearly 62 million tonnes of freight were carried by air in 2017, and the total value of goods transported by air is estimated at $6 trillion, representing 35% of all international trade. Additionally, 57% of international tourists travel by air”, Minister Gatete said.

He noted that following the Yamoussoukro Decision, all West African nations have fully liberalized their airspace, granting our national carrier the 5th Freedom traffic rights. These efforts contribute to the implementation of Africa Continental Free Trade Area.

This is the second time Rwanda hosts the Aviation Africa Summit organised by Times Aerospace. Under the theme “Flying forward together - developing partnerships for Africa's future skies”.

The two-day event, brings together over 800 leaders across the civil and military aviation spectrum to discuss and debate the key issues that are driving change across the African continent. With the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) agreement now in place, leaders will discuss the challenges and successes surrounding the implementation of the agreement.