Senegal

1) Quelles ont été vos réalisations au sein de l’Autorité de l’Aviation Civile ainsi que dans le domaine de l’Aviation dans votre pays en 2023 ?

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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)Quels sont vos défis actuels et comment la CAFAC peut-elle vous assister ?

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Nous nous félicitons des propositions de formation faites par la CAFAC dans le domaine du transport aérien et nous espérons que cela soit pérennisé.

La signature de protocoles d’accord SAR avec les Etats voisins constitue un défi majeur pour le Sénégal. D’ailleurs des projets de protocoles sont déjà élaborés et transmis aux Etats voisins. Nous attendons de la CAFAC de faciliter leur signature.

L’OACI demande aux Etats d’élaborer un plan national de navigation aérienne. Comme vous le savez, la mise en œuvre des éléments ASBU sera une partie importante de ce plan. Donc nous demandons à ce que des formations sur l’ASBU soient organisées pour améliorer la compréhension du personnel et faciliter l’élaboration du plan national de navigation aérienne.

La CAFAC devra appuyer les efforts consentis par ses Etats membres pour se conformer aux nouvelles normes relatives à la protection de l’environnement.

A ce propos, le renforcement de l’expertise africaine en matière d’utilisation des énergies renouvelables est une priorité pour beaucoup d’Etats membres de la CAFAC.

De nombreuses initiatives voient le jour notamment les études sur la production de carburants durables d’aviation (SAF) qui nécessitent de la technologie de pointe.

Il est souhaitable que la CAFAC redynamise son programme de protection de l’environnement avec l’organisation de conférences, de séminaires et d’ateliers sur les SAF.

Le Bulletin d’information m’offre l’opportunité d’interpeller la CAFAC sur la nécessité de faire fonctionner le Fonds de développement des ressources humaines (HRDF), créé par la conférence de haut niveau des ministres africains en charge des transports aérien. Le HRDF est destiné au renforcement de capacité des professionnels africains de l’aviation civile. La CAFAC doit œuvrer pour la mise en œuvre effective de ce mécanisme qui a été mis en veilleuse trop longtemps sans aucune raison valable.

Par ailleurs, la CAFAC en collaboration avec l’OACI doit organiser une session de formation sur l’élaboration de Plan Directeur de l’Aviation Civile pour les Etats tenant en compte que la quasi-totalité des Etats africains n’en disposent pas

Enfin pour le renforcement de la sécurité de l’aviation civile, la CAFAC devra initier des projets spécifiques relatifs à la mise en œuvre effective des SSP par ses Etats membres, à cet égard il faut rappeler seul le Rwanda a réussi à atteindre le niveau 4.

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)?

Le SAATM PIP ou Projet Pilote de Mise en œuvre du MUTAA est une nouvelle approche pour intensifier le plaidoyer pour la mise en œuvre complète du MUTAA.

Nous estimons que c’est une bonne initiative avec des activités spécifiques, notamment, la sensibilisation sur les problèmes de connectivité qui se posent dans le transport aérien en Afrique.

En outre grâce au SAATM PIP, chaque Etat membre peut s’autoévaluer concernant la réalisation du MUTAA et déterminer le niveau de connectivité de ses villes avec le reste de l’Afrique.

Dans ce registre, le Sénégal encourage la CAFAC dans la sensibilisation des Etats dans les domaines de la protection des consommateurs, des règles de la concurrence ainsi que les dispositions relatives au règlement des différends.