Connectivity in Africa faces several bottlenecks that must urgently be addressed to meet the target of growing intra-Africa on the continent.

So said Memory Momba Kamthunzi, CEO of the Malawi Tourism Council during a panel discussion at the Africa Tourism Leadership Forum (ATLF) 2023 held in Gaborone, Botswana last week.

According to her, connectivity relates to air access, visas, infrastructure, affordability of travel on the continent, and ease of movement between countries.

Kamthunzi said bureaucracy and corruption at border posts and a lack of internet connectivity (to allow effective adoption of technology) also affect the ease of movement of people.

Sandile Chipunza Iata Manager External Affairs and Sustainability: Africa, agreed, pointing out that the affordability of air travel on the continent was linked to the high costs associated with operating an airline in Africa.

“For example, the price of jet fuel in Africa is 12% higher than the global average,” he said.

“And often the airport taxes imposed by the respective countries are not necessarily passed back to the aviation sector but incorporated into the general fiscus,” Chipunza added.

Proposed solutions

Kamthunzi suggested that African airlines should sign more bilateral agreements and look at introducing more regional low-cost carriers

To illustrate the power of bilateral agreements, Alan Renaud, Principal Secretary of Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine Ministry of Transport, Seychelles, pointed out that when Air Seychelles starting looking at bilateral agreements – with a total of 81 agreements currently in place – the number of tourists to the Indian Ocean Island country more than doubled.

“The national carrier could not travel to all the destinations/source markets on its own and with increased capacity and competition, the flights become more affordable,” he said.

Kamthunzi further suggested that government should subsidise and/or incentivise airlines to open up more air connectivity on the continent.

CEO of the Tourism Business Council South Africa and Interim Chair of the SADC Business Council Tourism Alliance, Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, noted that the Middle Eastern carriers have proven that incentives work to boost an airline’s connectivity.

Thabo P Thamane CEO of Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency Botswana, pointed out that incentives could be leveraged to promote open skies on the continent.

“For that to work, incentives would have to be standard across Africa,” he said.