In 2016, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni had a dream. After 30 years of lull, the East African country, whose airport has become a fixation of Hollywood movies, would have its national carrier flying across the world. The crane in the national flag would spread its wings and ensure the $450 million that Ugandans spent on…
In a bid to stem the spread of the omicron variant of COVID-19, Ghana’s health and aviation authorities have issued, what could be, the harshest ever imposed guidelines, to airlines flying passengers into the country. In a statement announcing the sweeping directives, health authorizes said effective Tuesday, December 14, 2021, all persons flying in and…
Africa’s aviation sector is struggling to hit pre-pandemic levels, with airlines projected to lose revenues worth $8.5 billion in 2021 due to ongoing travel bans and limited domestic travel. However, the figure represents a slight improvement from the year before when losses mounted to $10.21 billion. According to the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), the poor…
The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has decried the recent imposition of travel bans on southern African countries after discovery of the Omicron variant, terming it unhelpful in curtailing the spread of COVID-19. There is feeling of betrayal, especially in South Africa, where the hard graft of scientists in unearthing and transparently announcing to the world…
A newly released report by UNCTAD has outlined the role the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could play in boosting transport communication networks that will spur intra-African trade. Despite the similarities in languages and ethnicities, African countries seldom trade with each other. Policymakers hoped to change the status quo with the rolling out of…
Senegal has signed infrastructure deals worth $1 billion with U.S. companies, a sign that President Joe Biden’s administration plans to live up to its promise to recalibrate long-neglected relations with the continent. America’s top diplomat Antony Blinken oversaw the signing ceremony on the second day of his visit to Senegal. According to a statement handed…
Air transport leaders and decision makers set a roadmap for transformation and the economic development of air transport in Africa at the 53rd AFRAA Annual General Assembly & Summit that has concluded today. The event was held under the patronage of the Government of Angola under the theme: “Flightpath to Africa’s resilient travel ecosystem.” The…
Mureza, a car manufacturer whose story transcends borders, will begin sales in the Namibian market next month after a successful release of its first batch of units in Zimbabwe and South Africa a fortnight ago. Mureza was founded by Tendai Mungofa, a Zimbabwean national based in South Africa, and the company aims to create a…
Sudan Airways has walked the proverbial journey to the top and back. In December 2011, the national carrier had 1700 employees, but fast forward today it only has one operational aircraft, an A320-200, formerly operated by Comoro Islands Airline. Unlike most African airlines that suffered their demise due to rampant corruption and chronic mismanagement, Sudan…
It’s crunch time for loss making Air Namibia with the government due to make a decision on the fate of the carrier in the coming days, following stunning revelations it cannot adequately fund its turnaround nor find any investors. Namibia’s Minister of Finance and Chairperson of the Cabinet Committee on Treasury, Ipumbu Shiimi, in a…
On March 5th, 2020 this writer took a flight from Nairobi to Cairo. As usual, the airport in Kenya’s capital, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, was busy and abuzz with activity; people from different nationalities all hassling to catch a flight to their various destinations. To have a seamless trip, I arrived at the airport three…
South African Airways has received a further $346 million from the Department of Public Enterprises, which the struggling airline will use to complete severance payments that form part of its rescue plan. In October, the South African government approved a $650 million bailout for the struggling airline in its mid-term budget. The state-owned airline has…
Kenya Airways has received a government bailout worth $92 million, as part of efforts to prop up the national carrier after the COVID-19 pandemic hurt global aviation over the last financial year. The airline, which is majority owned by the government with Air France-KLM holding a small stake, secured $76 million from the National Treasury…
American automaker Ford Motor will invest $1.05 billion in its South African manufacturing operations, the firm announced on Tuesday, and expand production of its signature brand, the Ranger pickup truck. The investment aim to increase Ford’s installed capacity in South Africa from 168,000 to 200,000 vehicles, said Andrea Cavallar, operations director of Ford’s International Market…
Ethiopia has launched the construction of a new railway line that will link its market town of Awash with Djibouti’s port. The project is contracted by China Civil Engineering Construction Cooperation (CCECC), further extending Chinese dominance in Ethiopia’s developing economy. The landlocked country currently has two rail lines that connect the interior with Port Djibouti,…
Ethiopia will receive a $4.8 million grant from Japan, following an agreement signed between both countries aimed at enhancing road operations and maintenance. The pact was signed by Ethiopia’s Minister of Finance Yasmin Wohabrebbi and Japanese Ambassador to Ethiopia Ito Takako. According to Yasmin, due to the rapid urbanization and increase in the number of…
Two Chinese farms have won the contract to construct a $1.32 billion modern rail in Tanzania, the foreign minister announced, in a deal that will extend more than a decade of Chinese involvement in the East African nation. China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation and China Railway Construction Limited will build the 341 kilometer link to…
African airlines’ passenger traffic fell 78.6% in October, the International Airport Transport Association (IATA) announced, despite that the continent recorded the best performance among all regions worldwide. The passenger traffic figures were an improvement from an 84.9% drop in September, as many African countries lifted lockdowns and re-opened borders to international travelers. Capacity contracted 67.5%…
South Africa’s national airline – South Africa Airways (SAA) – has received a boost after the government transferred $98 million to its administrators, though the money cannot be used yet. The airline’s management decried that the conditions imposed by the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) on how the money should be spent contravened labor and…
Japanese car maker Nissan will set up a new regional business unit for Africa in line with its Nissan Next global strategy plan, aiming to boost manufacturing capacity and penetrate one of the world’s biggest undeveloped new car markets. The move marks a reorganization of the firm’s disparate operations on the continent, bringing them within…