The Namibia Airports Company (NAC) in collaboration with Bank Windhoek on Thursday launched the Namibia Aviation and Connectivity Forum 2022, set to take place from 16 to 18 November 2022.
The forum, the first of its kind for the Namibian aviation industry will create a platform for key industry players and stakeholders to share, tackle, rethink and put in motion ideas on cementing the aviation industry’s role as key to Namibia’s economic recovery and growth.
The forum also aims at resuscitating the aviation industry and other ancillary industries such as tourism.
Speaking at the launch Minister of Works and Transport, John Mutorwa said the realisation of the Single African Air Transport Market will serve to enhance Namibia’s growth in the sector.
“Initiatives such as this continue to drive the discussion and advocate for an open, free and fully accessible air transport market in Africa. It is encouraging that this very project supports advocacy which is one of the key pillars of the Single African Air Transport Market,” he said.
The Single African Air Transport Market, he added is a flagship project and the forum will bring to the forefront the discussion of how aviation can play a central role in the achievement of national aspirations such as the Harambee Prosperity Plan (HPPII), National Development Plans (NDPs), and National Transport Policy.
“The forum will focus on how Namibia can re-emerge from the recent pandemic by building a resilient and sustainable aviation industry (‘building back better’). This forum is expected to pave the way for the development of a series of policy and structural reforms, which will be outlined in a white paper at the end of the forum,” Mutorwa said.
At the same event Leake Hangala, chairperson of the NAC board said the local, international and regional airports have seen considerable growth in passenger numbers, with several airlines knocking at NAC’s doors to open new routes.
“This is why we are excited to be part of this great initiative to support structural, regulatory and other reforms that will pave the way for a reimagined aviation sector,” he said, noting that the aviation industry has always been a part of the economy’s engine.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
