Cameroon

1) What have been your achievements in CAA and aviation in your country in 2022 ?

Cameroon Civil Aviation Authority (CCAA), at a time when air traffic has gradually been recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic’s disastrous effects on the aviation sector, focused on activities such as civil aviation Safety and security oversight, air transport development, operation of aeronautical services that the state has not conceded, implementation of security measures at airports, and development of aviation skills.

As a matter of fact, CCAA’s major achievements for the year 2022 include the following:

• Certification of Yaounde-Nsimalen International Airport;
• Certification of a new commercial air transport company;
• Growth of Cameroon’s portfolio of air services agreements with the signing of an ASA with Canada, the establishment of a new ASA with Cape Verde, as well as the reviewing of existing ASA with Gabon, Togo, Senegal and Morocco respectively;
• Issuing of an operating licence to one (01) new foreign airline;
• Commissioning of the new lighting system at Bafoussam airport;
• Renewal of CCAA’s Training School Approval as an Associate Member of the Trainair Plus Programme;
• Construction work completion of CCAA’s Training School main campus;
• Launching of CCAA Training School’s first long term training programme (01 year) : Certificate in Aircraft Maintenance and Recycling;
• Development of a strategic plan for the period 2023 – 2030;
• Maintenance of CCAA ISO 9001:2015 Certificate (Safety oversight system and operation of Bafoussam airport)

2) What are your challenges and how can AFCAC assist you?

CCAA’s current challenges include:

• Establishing an effective system for economic oversight of aviation activities
•  Funding the development of skills for CCAA core jobs.

This takes us to how AFCAC can support CCAA:

• Drafting the legal framework on economic oversight;
• Capacity building of Staff: economic oversight and legal advice;
• Supporting in the quest for funding to develop the skills of civil aviation stakeholders, via CCAA Training School.

3) Your commitment to SAATM: how are you going to proceed with the implementation?

Since the entry into force of the Yamoussoukro Decision (DY) on the liberalisation of air transport in Africa, Cameroon has systematically granted fifth freedom traffic rights to the eligible airlines that apply for the latter. It is actually following the launch of SAATM that Cameroon signed its solemn engagement to join on 22 November 2018.

During the negotiations of air services agreements with YD States over the past twenty years, emphasis has been placed on their compliance with the provisions of this instrument.

For a better implementation of SAATM, Cameroon intends to:

• Continue to update its air service agreements in order to comply with the provisions of the Yamoussoukro Decision; In this regard, several air service agreements signed with other African countries were reviewed at the ICAN 2022 in Abuja, Nigeria;
• Sign air service agreements with other States that have joined SAATM;
• Organise workshops on SAATM to raise awareness in all stakeholders of Cameroon civil aviation sector;
• Celebrate the anniversary of YD on November 14.

4) What can you say about SAATM PIP?

Cameroon is one of the member countries of the Single African Air Transport Market Pilot Implementation Project (SAATM PIP). This is a major project for the development of air transport in Africa; it is expected to speed up the implementation of SAATM in order to reap the expected fruits: improved connectivity on intra-African routes, reduced travel times and lower fares.