CANSO Africa Conference 2025

Each day of the conference will be guided by a thematic focus:

• Day 1 – This day will be dedicated to various workshops, some hosted by our industry partners. The main focus will be on the changing ATM Eco-system and Safety Culture.
• Day 2 – The Road Ahead: Aligning the Future with Our Past and Present
  A deep dive into the CATS Vision 2045 and CONOPS, exploring how to align them with AFI initiatives and create a tailored high-level roadmap for Africa. We will also identify opportunities to fast-track technology deployment by focusing on readily achievable goals and global best practices.
• Day 3 – Enhancing Safety Foundations for Future Skies
  A focused look at the safety enablers for the future operational environment, including the evolving safety culture, leadership’s role in change management, safety data integration, and the shifting employee profile. Discussions will link back to the leadership and human factors themes introduced earlier in the programme.

Programme Summary (check back regularly for updates)

Tuesday 26 August

Technology Workshop
A hands-on workshops hosted by industry partners will explore how cutting-edge technologies are delivering tangible benefits today. This session will showcase real-world use cases and future deployment strategies across ANSPs and airports.

Conference Workshop
The Role of Leadership in Shaping and Managing Safety Culture  
This facilitated workshop will explore the pivotal role of leadership in building and sustaining a strong safety culture within the evolving African aviation landscape.

The workshop has two key objectives:

• To deepen awareness of how leadership behaviour, decision-making, and communication directly influence organisational safety culture
• To equip leaders with practical tools and strategies to navigate complex environments and foster a culture of safety, accountability, and continuous improvement

The session will feature a high-level dialogue with regional leaders on how they are actively shaping safety culture within their organisations. Facilitators will also engage participants in a candid discussion about the types of support leaders need—from policy alignment to peer collaboration—to embed safety values and lead by example across the region.

Wednesday 27 August

Setting the Scene – The Global Roadmap for Future Skies
This keynote session will provide a strategic overview of the CATS Global Council’s Vision 2045 and the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) CONOPS, highlighting how these global initiatives align with ICAO strategies and AFI regional plans.

The address will reflect on the journey so far—what the industry set out to achieve, why it matters, and how collaborative efforts across the sector are shaping the skies of tomorrow. It will unpack how the CATS CONOPS is being developed and embraced by the industry globally, and how Africa can actively contribute to and benefit from this transformation.

Key messages will focus on:

• The importance of aligning past, present, and future planning
• How Africa can forge its unique path while remaining harmonised with global developments
• The need for integration between existing AFI initiatives and the Global Council’s vision
• And the lessons Africa can draw from international experiences and cross-regional collaboration

This session sets the tone for the rest of the conference—inviting reflection, ambition, and shared commitment to a seamless and future-ready African airspace.

Leadership Dialogue: Regional Integration and the Future Skies of Africa

Regional economic integration is a central theme for Africa’s development. It promises larger, more connected markets, improved access for landlocked countries, and stronger intra-African trade. At the heart of this transformation lies the aviation sector—with Air Traffic Management (ATM) as a key enabler.

To realise this potential, the ATM community must support a seamless, harmonised airspace – one that reflects Africa’s ambitions for connectivity, innovation, and growth. Achieving this requires visionary leadership, strategic collaboration, and bold decision-making at the regional level.

This high-level dialogue will explore:

• How regional leaders can drive the implementation of the CATS CONOPS to shape Africa’s skies of the future
• What it will take to integrate the work of various stakeholders into a cohesive vision
• Whether Africa should define its own sub-regional roadmap to complement global efforts—and if so, how to develop it without losing alignment with ICAO frameworks and the CATS Global Council Vision 2045
• And what lessons can be drawn from other regions that have successfully aligned national and regional strategies with global initiatives

This session will provide a platform for candid exchange among senior decision-makers, aimed at catalysing a coordinated, Africa-driven approach to airspace modernisation and integration.

Interactive Session: Aligning CATS with Regional Plans

Part 1: Shared Reality Check – Understanding Today to Shape Tomorrow
A structured reflection on Africa’s current ATM landscape: challenges, strengths, and strategic gaps.

This interactive session will begin with a Shared Reality Check—a structured reflection among participants to identify current challenges, strengths, strategic gaps, and key enablers for Africa’s ATM transformation. This will ensure a grounded understanding of where we stand today, including:

• Operational constraints and infrastructure gaps
• Workforce and training limitations
• Political and institutional complexities
• Fragmentation of regional plans and initiatives
• Successful examples of local innovation or collaboration

Participants will be invited to share short insights from their organisations or States, helping to create a collective picture of Africa’s ATM landscape today. This will serve as a strategic baseline for the session.

Part 2: Aligning CATS with Regional Plans – Turning Vision into Action

Building on the reality check and the earlier leadership dialogue, participants will then step into the driver’s seat of regional alignment. Together, we will explore how to translate the CATS CONOPS and Vision 2045 into concrete action for Africa—while ensuring full coherence with ICAO strategies and existing AFI initiatives (e.g. AFI Plan, SECFAL Plan, ASBU implementation).

Expected Outcomes:

• A shared understanding of how CANSO’s CATS work can complement and enhance African regional efforts
• A list of practical next steps and strategic focus areas for regional alignment
• Clear input on whether and how to develop an Africa-specific roadmap under the CATS umbrella
• Stronger cross-stakeholder collaboration and a sense of co-ownership in shaping Africa’s airspace transformation

This session is designed not only to connect documents—but to connect people, priorities, and purpose.

Future skies for Africa – Africa’s Technology Advantage, or is it?

A core ambition of the Complete Air Traffic System (CATS) CONOPS is to achieve improved performance through digitalisation and smart automation. While Africa is making steady progress, many regional stakeholders still face challenges in accessing and deploying modern ATM technologies at scale.

This raises two key questions: Can Africa leapfrog legacy systems and adopt more efficient, scalable, and future-ready solutions? What are the global lessons on agile technology adoption, modular architectures, and fast-track deployment that can be adapted to the African context?

This structured and interactive session will give delegates the opportunity to explore practical solutions, experiences, and perspectives from across the industry.

Exhibiting CANSO Associate Members will take part in a guided, problem-solving format where delegates visit their stands to discuss:

• How global technologies can be tailored to African needs
• Examples of readily achievable goals where quick wins can be achieved
• Innovative approaches to automation, data services, virtualisation, and integration
• What it would take to scale these solutions across the continent

This session provides a unique opportunity to showcase practical innovations, build cross-sector connections, and accelerate collective readiness for Africa’s digital aviation future—not just through ideas, but through real solutions.

Thursday 28 August

Safety Focus – Enhancing our safety foundations for Future skies

A data driven interactive discussion on SMS foundations. CANSO regional ANSPs have shown collaborative approaches can lead to better implementation success. Peer-to-peer support has been used with relative success in the Africa region. Using the CANSO Standard of Excellence on SMS as a base for collaborative participation, the ANSPs will explore how they can assist and uplift each other by working as a focused community where it matters. This will strengthen the safety foundations while enhancing the implementation culture.

The main objectives will be:

• To help regional ANSPs to better understand the drivers and benefits of safety management system maturity
• Use the collaborative approach, as an initial step to enhancing their participation in the programme
• Enhance aviation safety performance for all airspace users

Expected Outcomes

• Improved confidence levels and willingness to participate on the assessment
• Ongoing participation and management involvement in the process as regional members recognise the strategic importance of the programme
• A formidable community spirit designed to enhance peer to peer support and learning
• Improved safety practices and operational excellence

Safety Focus – The Changing Employee Profile and the Implications for Safety Management

The Africa region is known for its massive numbers of younger population, home-grown technology revolution and the potential for growth of its economies. The younger generation is eager to join the ATM industry however, is the industry ready? Are the systems and the management ready for new ways of managing this new generation? What are  the implication for our established training methodologies, human resources policies and practice and the structures we have created to manage the operational environments?

• What are the implications for safety in managing these inter-generational teams where roles are evolving and the technology eco-system is changing?
• What can we learn from other regions?

This session will borrow from other discussions, including the workshop on the role of leadership in managing the safety culture.

The key objectives of this session are:

• Bring to the fore the real challenges faced by the ANSPs, now and in the future
• Engage with tried and tested approaches and tools based on global and regional experiences
• Create a platform where leaders can exchange ideas as they tackle this emerging challenge

Expected Outcomes

• A structured, CANSO-led platform for leaders to exchange ideas
• A high-level roadmap on how the region will address the challenges of safety in a changing environment

The CANSO Africa Conference 2025 will be held at the:

Argyle Grand Hotel Nairobi Airport

JWW4 R5W Mombasa Road,

Near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport,

Nairobi,

Kenya

To book a room with breakfast at the Argyle, for US$150 per night, please email both sales2@argylehotelkenya.ke  and reservations@argylehotelkenya.ke with your details and dates.

Rooms are cancellable free of charge up to two weeks before arrival. After that, one night will be charged.

A complimentary shuttle is available from the airport to and from the Argyle. To book a transfer, please send your full flight details to the hotel when you make your booking, or later, to the email addresses above using the same email thread as your room booking request.

Alternative accommodation

For those not wishing to stay at the main conference hotel, these options are available. Kindly note that if you choose to stay in one of these hotels you will be responsible for your own transportation to and from the airport, and to the conference itself. Click each hotel’s link for more information and booking instructions.

67 Airport Hotel Nairobi

7.7 km from Argyle Hotel

Single occupancy per night B&B – US$60

Airport Landing Hotel

8.3 km from Argyle Hotel

Single occupancy per night B&B – US$72

Kozi Suites

5.6 km from Argyle Hotel

Single occupancy per night B&B – US$50

For full details of Kenya’s Visa entry requirements, see the government’s official Visa information page here.

To apply for an eVisa, click here.

Should you require a Visa invitation letter, please email Events@CANSO.org.