The Seven African countries of the Banjul Accord Group have agreed on the introduction of $1 dollar of Passenger Safety Charge (PSC) on international commercial flights.
The countries include: Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Gambia and Republic of Genie.
The PSC was proposed as a sustainable funding mechanism Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO), Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigative Agency (BAGAIA).
They made the resolutions at the just concluded 3-day 18th plenary dession of the Banjul Accord Group (BAG), held in Abuja, Nigeria.
In a joint commumique issued at the end of the session, also agreed that upon full implementation of the PSC, member state contributions would be phased out.
The PSC implementation is scheduled to commence on January, 1st 2026, with full implementation expected by 2030, allowing time for the necessary amendments to national legislation.
The Director-General, Civil Aviation, Nigeria, Capt. Chris Najomo said the proposal if accepted by the various countries government will also help drive implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD).
He said with improved connectivity within Africa; air ticket prices would reduce significantly as well as travel time.
He said the ministers of the various countries will meet on Thursday to deliberate recommendation and other conclusions to take back to their home countries governments.
On the difficulty in connecting within Africa, Capt. Najomo said the plenary agreed that restrictions within the member states should be removed for easy inter-lining and interconnectivity.
He however acknowledged that there are capacity issues among local carries in the sub region. “Another issue is capacity. Most countries dormant have the capacity. You can see in the reports. Nigeria has 13 scheduled domestic operators.
“In some countries, its just one or two. Some don’t even have at all. For instance, Sierra Leone just had teh first AOC which was facilitated by Nigeria. It’s a Nigerian operator who went to fly their flag – Air Sierra Leone.