Senegal

1) What have been your achievements in CAA and aviation in your country in 2023 ?

On behalf of the Government of Senegal and the Civil Aviation and Meteorological Authority of Senegal (ANACIM), I would like to express my sincere appreciation to AFCAC for putting our country on the spotlight this month.

I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate my thanks to the entire African aviation community, as well as to our partners outside the continent, who have sent me congratulatory messages, following my appointment as Director General of ANACIM.

I was appointed as Director General of ANACIM in May 2024, albeit, with due respect for continuity within the management structure, I would like to highlight the following achievements made by ANACIM under the leadership of my predecessor:

With regard to the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme – Continuous Monitoring Approach (USOAP-CMA), an ICVM (Coordinated Validation Mission) audit of Senegal’s civil aviation system was conducted by ICAO, from April 17 to 24, 2024.

At the end of this audit, the rate of effective implementation by Senegal of ICAO standards and recommended practices was at 84.89%, an increase in 21.63% compared with the results of the on-site audit carried out in 2019. This rate concerns all LEG, ORG, PEL, OPS, AIR, ANS, AGA and AIG audit areas.

The ICVM audit covered the areas of Legislation (LEG), Personnel Licensing (PEL), Aircraft Technical Operations (OPS), Aircraft Airworthiness (AIR) and Aerodromes and Ground Aids (AGA).

As part of the activities carried out prior to the ICVM, officers in charge of the ANACIM structures concerned, specifically the Air Navigation and Aerodromes Division, the Flight Safety Division and the Legal pool, in cooperation with the stakeholders, carried out the necessary planning in coordination with the operators for the effective implementation of the corrective action plan (CAP), and accomplished the following, among other tasks:

• Legislative and regulatory texts;
• Recruitment, various other training and technical staff training;
• Inspections/audits;
• Issuing of certifications/endorsements and other approvals; and
• Ongoing monitoring of CAP implementation.

In addition, with respect to the ICVM and other audits on the pipeline and other procedures, a software programme and related decisions were developed and approved during the meetings of the Senegalese Commission for the Development and Amendment of Aviation Regulations (CARAS), held on 14 and 16 August 2023.

The results obtained by Senegal are a reflection of the efforts made by:

• ANACIM: in terms of safety oversight of air operators, through establishing and implementing the basic aeronautical legislation (Civil Aviation Code, Decrees and Orders), Senegal’s aeronautical regulations (RAS), system organisation, staff training and qualification, industry guides, certifying operators and ensuring ongoing monitoring and resolution of safety issues.
• Air navigation service providers and air operators (ASECNA, LAS, AIBD, airlines: AIR SENEGAL, TRANSAIR, ARC EN CIEL, HELICONIA, etc.), ground handling companies (2AS, AHS, SHS), FBOs, FBOs, EMAIR, etc., by implementing the standards and recommended practices issued by ANACIM following inspections, audits and certification/approval, etc.
• The AIG: by conducting investigations and analyses for the Senegalese civil aviation safety, in accordance with the legislative and regulatory provisions in force.
• All stakeholders in African civil aviation, who have provided assistance through their safety enhancement programmes and initiatives, in particular AFCAC, through the AFI-CIS, ICAO WACAF Bureau, through the ROST missions and URSAC, through its supervisory capacity-building activity programme for the civil aviation authorities of its Member States.

In the field of aviation security, Senegal hosted a USAP-CMA audit mission in February 2023, with highly appreciable results.

Furthermore, within the framework of the AFI-CES programme and with a view to contributing to a significant increase in the USAP-CMA EI rate in our region, Senegal has, whenever necessary, made available its AVSEC Experts to AFCAC, whom, I must emphasise, have provided considerable assistance to several AFI States, particularly with regard to the effective implementation of requirements relating to the certification of State aviation personnel and instructors.

In the area of air transport, our State has embarked on the process of signing air agreements, with the finalisation of negotiations with countries such as Rwanda, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Cameroon, Sudan, Latvia, Finland, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Germany.

In terms of Civil Aviation Safety Management, as we all are aware, the State’s responsibilities in this area are both in Oversight and Safety Management.

From this perspective, our intention is to align Security Management at the same level as standard Security Supervision, i.e. its institution it by means of a Decree.

As such, Senegal is determined to comply rigorously with the targets set for the effective implementation of a National Security Programme (NSP):

• implement the fundamentals of the NSP in 2024;
• issue the National Civil Aviation Safety Plan (NCASP) in 2024; and
• establish and effectively implement the NSP as follows:
• effectual establishment of the NSP in 2025, and
• the NSP’s effective implementation in 2028.

The National Safety Programme (PNS) was designed and approved by decision of the Director General of ANACIM. The Safety Management team is currently working on introducing a draft Decree on Safety Management, incorporating the Programme.

As far as Senegal’s NASP is concerned, the draft has already been developed and circulated to service providers and will soon be uploaded on the ICAO website, well before the 2024 ICAO deadline.

It should be recalled that our experts are actively involved in the various groups, in particular the AFI-PNS project and the URSAC-UEMOA groups, and are working hard to harmonise all the deliverables of the action plans resulting from the Gap Analysis of the PNS.

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

We are highly satisfied with the training offered by AFCAC in the field of air transport, and we do hope that this will be continued in the long term.

Signing SAR memorandums of understanding with neighbouring countries is a major challenge for Senegal. Draft protocols have already been drawn up and sent to neighbouring countries. We now rely on AFCAC to facilitate their signature.

ICAO requires States to draw up a national air navigation plan. As you know, the implementation of ASBU approach will be an important part of this plan. We therefore request that training courses on ASBU be organised to improve staff understanding and facilitate the development of the National Air Navigation Plan.

The AFCAC Newsletter affords me the opportunity to challenge AFCAC on the dire need to operationalise the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), launched by the High-Level Conference of African Ministers in charge of Air Transport. The HRDF is intended to strengthen the capacity of African civil aviation professionals. AFCAC must work for the effective implementation of this mechanism, which has been put on hold for far too long, without any valid reason.

Furthermore, AFCAC, in collaboration with ICAO, must organise a training session on the development of Civil Aviation Master Plans for States, taking into account that the majority of African States have no such plans.

Finally, in order to strengthen civil aviation safety, AFCAC should initiate specific projects relating to the effective implementation of SSPs by its Member States. In this respect, it should be recalled that only Rwanda has so far managed to achieve Level 4

AFCAC is expected to support the efforts of its Member States to comply with new environmental protection standards.

In this respect, strengthening African expertise in the use of renewable energies is a priority for many AFCAC Member States.

Quite a number of initiatives are underway, including studies on the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF), which require trailblazing technological innovations.

Finally, AFCAC should revitalise its environmental protection programme by organising conferences, seminars and workshops on SAF.

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

As a SAATM signatory State, Senegal is committed to the full operationalisation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), by ensuring the implementation of concrete measures that underpin the sustainable development of the SAATM.

Senegal is also working to improve connectivity in the sub-region by granting 5th freedom rights to airlines.

Air transport is an important vector on which Senegal’s authorities intend to rely in order to ensure its socio-economic development.

In this respect, the socio-economic benefits of the SAATM are constantly being highlighted, such as, improved connectivity, job creation and increased GDP.

Air transport experts regularly take part in awareness-raising workshops on the regulatory texts relating to the operationalisation of the SAATM, i.e. competition rules, consumer protection and dispute settlement.

I would like to take this opportunity to urge AFCAC to continue to work with the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and sub-regional bodies such as WAEMU, which are empowered to adopt Community texts for the benefit of their Member States in the area of air transport. To this end, AFCAC could rely on these regional entities to domesticate all the regulations relating to SAATM and ensure its effectiveness.

Finally, I would like to inform the aviation community that Senegal is quite enthusiastic about the full and complete operationalisation of the SAATM.

To this end, our country is working to complete the following measures:

 Sign bilateral air services agreements (BASAs) with African States in compliance with the principles of the Yamoussoukro Decision;

 To submit to AFCAC the name of at least one airline established in Senegal, in accordance with the eligibility criteria of the Yamoussoukro Decision ;

 Establishing by State Decree, a national committee for the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision and informing AFCAC thereof;

 Organise public awareness initiatives on the Yamoussoukro Decision and the Single African Air Transport Market, as well as on the regulatory texts relating to competition, consumer protection and dispute settlement.

4)What can you say about SAATM Project Implementation Project (PIP)?

The SAATM-PIP or SAATM Pilot Implementation Project is a new approach with a view to intensifying advocacy for the full implementation of SAATM.

We believe it is a good initiative with specific activities, notably raising awareness of the connectivity issues facing air transport in Africa.

Furthermore, thanks to the SAATM PIP, each Member State can assess its own progress in implementing SAATM and determine the level of connectivity of its cities with the rest of Africa.

In this respect, Senegal is encouraging AFCAC to raise awareness among States in the areas of consumer protection, competition rules and dispute settlement provisions.