Togo adopts measures to boost the air transportation sector
Monday, 06 August 2018 14:36 
(Togo First) - On August 3, 2018, during the ministerial council, Togo enacted four draft bills aimed at the development of the air transportation sector.
The first bill authorizes the ratification of the air transport agreement signed on April 7, 2015, by Togo and the United States in Lomé. With this agreement, which is one of those new generation ones called “open sky agreements”, the two countries will consider ways to considerably increase their traffic. Its ratification should confirm Togo’s status of leading air transport hub and create a legal framework for cooperation between the two countries in this sector.
A second draft was adopted during the above-mentioned ministerial council to authorize the ratification of the air transportation agreement signed in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on February 24, 2016, by this country and Togo. This agreement was aimed at promoting competition between the companies operating in air transport with no or less government’s involvement. By ratifying it, Togo will integrate it into its air transportation’s legal system and establish a permanent framework for consultation between the two parties involved in that agreement.
As far as the third draft bill is concerned, it authorizes the ratification of the Bilateral Air Services Agreement, signed in Lomé on June 9, 2016, by Togo and Burkina Faso. The major components of this agreement are based on the air transportation guidelines stated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and, it sets the rules defining commercial air transportation between Togo and Burkina Faso. It will provide the air transportation operators indicated by the two parties an enhanced legal certainty and a regulatory framework that conforms more closely to international standards.
The last draft bill authorizes Togo to sign the revised constitution of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC). Established on January 17, 1969, in Addis-Ababa, the AFCAC is aimed at strengthening the cooperation with ICAO and all the institutions ensuring the promotion and development of civil aviation in Africa.
According to the ministerial council, the emergence of new civil aviation norms compelled the AFCAC to adopt new statuses, in Dakar on December 16, 2009. The council also indicated that by adopting this revised constitution, Togo would be able to foster the development of its air transport companies and enhance their presence in the international market.
Séna Akoda
