CANSO Director General remarks at the CANSO Africa Conference 2019
Welcome
Hello and welcome to the CANSO Africa Conference 2019. I am Simon Hocquard, the new Director General of CANSO, and it is an absolute pleasure to welcome you here in Dar es Salam. I am delighted to welcome the Hon. Eng. Isack Kamwelwe, (M.P) Minister of Works, Transport and Communications, The United Republic of Tanzania Ministry of Works, Transport and Communications and I would like to thank TCAA for kindly hosting us in Tanzania this year. I would also like to thank Aireon, our lead sponsor, and all of our other lead sponsors for supporting us.
Why we are here
So why we are here and what do we hope to get out of our time together this week? From my perspective, I believe we’re all here because we share one common goal – to improve the performance of an industry that is vital to our economies and societies.
We’ve all come here with open minds and bold ambitions, we’ve all raised our hands to the task of building a strong future and we’ve shown that together, CANSO is a visible force for change. Today I want to remind of why this is important and how, if we’re willing to work together, we can deliver the change our industry needs.
A force for change
So why CANSO and why now? Let me tell you a story. Back in 2016 there was a group of ANSPs endeavouring to improve ATM performance and safety standards in Africa. The ANSPs had separately implemented a range of measures to help safely manage air traffic demand but with regional and international passenger numbers increasing rapidly, it was clear the group could not develop the capabilities needed on their own.
Today, these organisations are among the region’s safest, most progressive and efficient ANSPs. These ANSPs provide much-needed connectivity within the region and beyond, and industry leading safety performance.
These organisations are the members of the Africa ATM Safety Peer Review Initiative, and thing that brought them together to successfully improve performance is you – CANSO.
What is CANSO
So what is CANSO? CANSO was created by the industry, for the industry. In Africa that means regardless of whether you operate in an eastern or western, northern or southern airspace, you are all one in the ATM community – just as the ICAO ‘no country left behind’ initiative intended.
CANSO Africa was formed in 2012 and together the region has worked hard to get the African ATM industry where it is today. CANSO offers a strong and expanding network of industry advocates, a source of insight and advice on industry best practice, and a vehicle for targeted regional initiatives that address key issues in Africa. And this innovation and commitment to collaborative working is vital – now more than ever.
Africa’s challenges
Air transport in the region currently supports over six million jobs and almost 56 billion dollars in economic activity. In the next two years, air travel in Africa is expected to continue to grow about 4.9% a year. This will further drive economic output and employment opportunities. But it will also increase potential for congestion and capacity constraints, and the need for new people and new technology.
In addition, the pace of change in the ATM industry is rapid. With the onset of new technologies, processes and standards to adopt, the region needs to keep ahead of these developments and ensure effective implementation. This means that the ATM community in Africa must continue to find new ways to work together and to devise and implement strategies for success
CANSO’s strategic direction
So how are we going to do this? As you may be aware, we recently launched CANSO: Fit for the Future of ATM. This is our overarching framework that maps out how CANSO is seeking to transform for the industry. It was developed and endorsed by the membership, and in my new role as Director General, I am committed to working with you to ensure we deliver on its objectives.
As some of you may know, earlier in my career I was an air traffic controller and held senior management positions dealing with strategic and aero political issues, and I relish the opportunity to lead CANSO and work with you to guide the ATM industry on its mission to create its own future.
The foundation of the new strategic direction is its emphasis on membership and regional focus.
CANSO exists for its members and it must be driven by your wants and needs, whether that’s advocating your interests on a global or regional stage, providing access to the best practice guidance or facilitating the partnerships you need to build stronger organisations.
To support this we must take a regional approach. We are a complex global industry with different challenges and priorities around the world, and it’s clear ‘one size does not fit all’. It is therefore important that CANSO identifies and focuses its efforts on the different priorities in each region.
In Africa, we have seen this working to great success with the Africa ATM Safety Peer Review Initiative, Mombasa ATFM Roadmap and Implementation of ASBUs, to mention a few. And we continue to work with industry partners IATA and ACI and ICAO to champion such regional transformation.
It is vital that we develop these targeted member and region focussed initiatives to translate global best practice into strong regional performance. And we encourage participation and contributions from all members in the Africa region.
The future is yours
So before we take a closer look at the initiatives and projects that are guiding progress today, I want to take a moment to congratulate you all on the significant achievements that have been made in this region. And to reaffirm that you have my full support and encouragement every step of the way.
In my role as Director General I will always listen to you and take a personal interest in your challenges – whether that is joining you at CANSO or industry events, or spending time with you individually. I will also ensure that you have the guidance and resources you need and the tools necessary to make ATM in Africa the best it can possibly be.
Being part of CANSO gives you the unique opportunity to work with global industry leaders, experts and innovators, get unparalleled access to vital industry insights and best practice guidance, and to be part of the decisions that shape your industry.
In turn, this will help the ATM industry to develop the strategies and approaches needed to tackle key industry issues, evolve day-to-day operations and future capabilities and importantly, to create its own future.
So please, remember the show of hands just now and the commitments we all made to champion change in ATM, Together we are influencers, together we are motivators, together we are the architects of our future.
Thank you.
