Mali

1) What were your achievements within the Civil Aviation Authority and in the field of Aviation in your country in 2023?

The Civil Aviation Authority of Mali, known as the Agence Nationale de l’Aviation Civile (ANAC), is a Public Establishment under State Authority (EPA).

Its mission is to participate in the development of civil aviation regulations in accordance with the of the International Civil Aviation Organization  standards and Community provisions, and to monitor the application of these regulations; to control the application of civil aviation safety and security rules; to plan, coordinate and supervise all civil aviation activities; to supervise air navigation services; and to develop, implement and monitor training policies in the field of aviation.

Texts adopted during 2023 include, among others are:

• Decree no. 2023-0383/PT-RM of July 11, 2023, setting the terms and conditions for the payment of bonuses and allowances to the Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, the First Information Investigators and other members of the Commission of Inquiry into civil aviation accidents and incidents;
• Submission of a draft agreement on air transport through diplomatic channels to Côte d’Ivoire, and finalization and signature of agreements with Burkina Faso and Rwanda to ensure compliance with the Yamoussoukro Decision.

In terms of airport infrastructure, ANAC has :

• Strengthened safety and security measures at the President Modibo KEiTA-Sénou International Airport and inland airports through the acquisition and installation of new-generation security equipment (RXs, explosives trace detectors, etc…),
• conducted a study to increase the operational capacity of the Président Modibo KEÏTA-Sénou international airport by upgrading the temporary parking lot and building a taxiway parallel to the runway from threshold 06 of the Bamako-Sénou airport;
• the construction and equipping of the Bamako secondary rescue center at Air Force Base 101,
• the rehabilitation of technical studies for the construction of the Kita and Bougouni airfields, and,

• the registration and demarcation of the Markala airport domain.

2) What are your current challenges and how can AFCAC be of assistance?

The current challenges facing ANAC and requiring assistance from CAFAC are:

• • Capacity-building for technical staff in the fields of safety and security;
  • Computerization of the safety and security supervision system;
  • Certification of all international airports;
  • Implementation of a computerized civil aviation incident management system.

3) What is your approach to the Single African Air Transport Market (MUTAA)?

In the perspective of achieving the effective implementation of the SAATM, we strive to ensure that national legislation, regulations, rules and policies respect the express provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision.

To this end, Mali is proceeding with the :

• Review Mali’s bilateral agreements to bring them into line with the Yamoussoukro Decision, eliminating all restrictions on traffic rights under the 3rd, 4th and 5th freedoms, frequencies, tariffs and capacities.
• Celebration of the YD Day, being one of the concrete measures to be implemented as part of the SAATM.

4) What is your take on the SAATM-PIP?

Developed by ten African States (Senegal, Togo, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia and Nigeria…), the SAATM-PIP is a pilot project for the implementation of the SAATM, and a worthwhile initiative that could serve as an incentive for other States to implement the Yamoussoukro Decision.

It will facilitate the launch of new routes within intra-African borders without the need for cross-border air services.

As such, it will enable:

– lower air fares;

– generate economic benefits for African states and;

– double Africa’s interconnectivity in the medium and long term, through the operation  of new intra-African routes.