Togo

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

Being a member of ICAO, the mission of Togo through its civil aviation administration (ANAC) is to regulate and supervise civil aviation. As such, in 2022, ANAC carried out the following activities:

• Conducting audits and inspections
• Maintaining staff skills
• Working under the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP CMA) in security and the USAP in safety
• Updating of the texts governing Togolese civil aviation

ANAC is also leading the implementation of the National Aviation Safety Program (PNS) following the adoption of the related decree.

As part of the South-South cooperation, taking into account the experience and results of ANAC, we supported some member states to achieve their compliance objectives with the ICAO requirements.

Experts from ANAC have also participated to some extent in other AFCAC and ICAO activities and working groups within AFCAC and ICAO.

Within the framework of the continuation of the opening of Togo towards more destinations, we took part in the last ICAO conference on air services negotiations (ICAN) from 05 to 09 December 2022 in Nigeria… During this meeting the Togolese delegation met with 16 states from Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

On an operational level, new destinations have been opened in 2022 from Lomé. These include Johannesburg, Praia and Sao Tome by Asky and Washington by Ethiopian. The increase in flights to the United States was made possible by the various results obtained during TSA audits, the last of which was conducted in August 2022 and gave Lomé airport a 100% compliance rate.

Today Togo plays a real leadership role in international civil aviation in general, and in particular in Africa. This leadership has recently earned us the award of the best aviation manager in Africa.

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

Togo still faces some challenges though it was designated by the AU as a SAATM Champion and tasked with conducting advocacy for the full implementation of the YD as well as operationalizing the SAATM.

One of these major challenges relates to the implementation of the YD by some SAATM member states. It is relating to the refusal to grant 5th freedom traffic rights. AFCAC’s advocacy with these states for full implementation of the YD and SAATM would be welcome.

Training is also an essential element for civil aviation to enable it to effectively fulfill its obligations and missions. AFCAC’s support in building staff capacity is highly desired.

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

As part of the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision including the launch of the SAATM, Togo signed its solemn commitment for the liberalization of air transport on February 15, 2017. Togo has also implemented all the immediate measures for the launch of the SAATM. It is on the strength of Togo’s total commitment to implement the YD that the President of the Togolese Republic was designated as the SAATM Champion at its launch in Addis Ababa on January 29, 2018.

For the effectiveness of SAATM, Togo will have to:

• Keep pushing for the other AU Member States’ membership,
• Organize the next meeting of the ministerial working group for the implementation of the SAATM,
• Continue the review of air agreements to bring them in line with the spirit of the YD,
• Encourage African airlines to enter into commercial arrangements such as code-sharing and interlining agreements to facilitate passenger mobility.

In addition to these actions, the Champion will continue its efforts to mobilize funding from technical and financial partners in order to strengthen AFCAC’s powers, the implementing body.

4) What can you say about SAATM PIP?

Togo is one of the member states of the SAATM Pilot Implementation Project (SAATM-PIP). This is a project that has been warmly welcomed by Togo, in particular by the Champion. This initiative, we hope, will give a boost to the implementation of SAATM by the States. The success of this project will allow States that still doubt the reliability of SAATM to join the magnificent community created, thus serving as a catalyst for the accession of new members. The benefits will not only be for the airlines, but much more for our people who will have more travel options, which will also be brought closer together due to improved connectivity, economy of scale, reduction in ticket prices.

SAATM PIP would also be an ideal framework for the effective implementation of commercial cooperation agreements between airlines.

I would like to commend the initiative of AFCAC Secretary General who organized the launch of the SAATM Pilot Implementation Program with the eighteen (18) States during the last YD anniversary celebration on November 14, 2022 in Dakar.