18 Dec 2022

Government is committed to continuous improvement of safety of the skies, Minister of Transport and Public Works Mr Eric Molale has said.

That follows a commitment that Botswana had signed for with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other associated African Agencies on aviation.

Minister Molale said this at the an event that was organised to appreciate certification of Sir Seretse Khama International Airport (SSKIA) in recognition of being a safe airport and report on Botswana presentation by International Civil Aviation Organisation Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM).

Receiving the ICVM report on Botswana, Mr Molale said aviation safety was not only a legal and ethical or moral issue, but also a business imperative.

“Botswana strives to improve the aviation safety and it is a commitment that the country will not compromise on. 

The aviation industry is a key enabler of our economic sustainability. 

It is an engine that drives our economy by connecting communities and facilitating travel to our major tourism attractions,” Mr Molale said.

Therefore, he said safe skies were an imperative in tourist offering, adding that Botswana’s achievements over the years had been the continuous development, maintenance and upgrading of her aerodrome infrastructure assets around the country, which supports travel, tourism and associated industries including hospitality.

The last ICVM conducted in Botswana was in May 2018 and Botswana moved from the ICAO Safety Compliance of 61.07 per cent then to 80.1 per cent in 2022, an increase of 19 per cent. 

Botswana had surpassed the Global Average of 67.7 per cent, the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESAF) average of 57.1 per cent and Africa’s average of 57.82 per cent.

Regarding the certification of SSKIA, in 2012 African ministers responsible for civil aviation adopted 16 key safety milestones also known as the Abuja Safety Targets, encapsulated in the Abuja Declaration on Aviation Safety. 

African member states were required to ensure that at least one international aerodrome in its territory was certified by 2022, as per Target 7.

“Therefore, Botswana has fulfilled Target 7 as at December this year. 

This is a clear indication of government’s commitment and all stakeholders in the aviation industry to play their part in making Botswana skies safe,” the minister said.

He added that government would continue to provide the aviation sector with necessary resources, both human and financial to ensure that excellent standards were maintained.

However, he said the report highlighted shortcomings in some areas and said it was government’s commitment to act on the identified areas going forward.

He said plans were at advanced stage to commence the certification process of the Maun International Airport. 

“The need to certify this airport cannot be over-emphasised, hence the recent improvement of the terminal building,” he said.

For his part, accident investigations (BW GOV) director, Mr Olefile Moakofi noted that audits and certifications were national affairs. 

“We are all involved and affected as Batswana, for they directly impact on the tourismindustry, international trade and direct foreign investment that the President and his Cabinet are pursuing,” Mr Moakofi said.

He said the introduction of ICVMs and airport certifications as well as adoption of Safety Management System (SMS) had brought a big change, with culture of reporting occurrences. 

That, he said linked to the Reset Agenda, adding ‘we can cite the mind-set change in so far as incident reporting is concerned’.

Additionally, Mr Moakofi urged SSKIA to maintain safety and compliance, saying if ICAO checked audits progress made following an audit, any Safety Significant Concern (SSC) picked could lead to the European Union (EU) getting involved and interested.

“It is bad news for the national economy. 

Once the EU places any country in what they call Safety Operational List, which the media will always refer to as the black-listing of a country, it will then strongly warn its citizens against flying to that country, citing unsafe skies,” he said.

He added that once the EU took such a drastic action, all other blocs or individual states would follow suit, and the economy would crumble. 

He, therefore, appealed to the leadership of Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB) to take interest and ownership of the ICAO activities like ICVMs and certifications, saying if not careful, any negative results could literally shutter the national economy.

Meanwhile, CAAB board chairperson, Mr Basimane Bogopa said certification of SSKIA would create confidence in all users of airports and the travelling public as it showed that basic minimum standards for international air travel had been met and satisfied.

He said that would consequently increase air travel, especially for a landlocked Botswana.

“An airport is a fast-paced and dynamic environment, where many components of aviation converge. 

It is where passengers experience facets of the global village. 

It is for this reason that safety and security remain at the top of our priorities,” Mr Bogopa noted.

He indicated that after SSKIA certification, other three international airports of Maun, PG Matante and Kasane would follow, with Maun scheduled to start early next year. ends