Adefunke Adeyemi heads AFCAC

Adefunke Adeyemi begins her new assignment at a time when African aviation is growing strongly, although its share of global air traffic is still very limited. According to Boeing's latest market forecast for the next 20 years, the current share of the African aviation market is only 2%. However, it will grow by an average of 5.2% annually over the next two decades, the authors of the study estimate. In terms of aircraft, this translates into around 1,000 new deliveries (both passenger and cargo jetliners) to African airlines by 2041.

Broad base of experience
Adefunke Adeyemi has made a name for herself in the African aviation landscape over the course of several years. She started her career as a practicing lawyer in Nigeria, and then as Company Secretary and General Counsel to Virgin Nigeria Airways before joining the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where she has worked in different roles over the last 12 years.
In her latest assignment as Regional Director, External Affairs and Sustainability for Africa, she advocated for the sustainability of air transport, trade, tourism, and business across the continent, highlighting its positive socio-economic impact and value as strategic enablers and accelerators of development and growth in Africa and even beyond.  

Many is better than one
The tenor of her inaugural speech at the congress, which took place at a seaside resort at Senegal’s Atlantic ‘Riviera’, was comparatively positive but also demanding. She emphasized above all the common interests of African aviation players and appealed to bundle forces in order to give greater emphasis to cross-company demands. “African civil aviation must continue to focus on its core areas and also work much closer with the tourism and trade sectors.” To accomplish this, she urged governments to put national interests aside in favor of common goals.

Waiting for the slowest block’s development
In doing so, she addressed a sore point and long-lamented deficit, because the egoism of some countries has repeatedly held back a common African aviation policy in the past and has kept jeopardizing intra-continental air connectivity since years. This blockade policy must finally come to an end, she urged those countries where demands for further liberalization of African air traffic and the extension of the open skies agreement have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Stronger together
“The vision for African aviation is to enable a fully connected, prosperous, and united Africa. We are stronger together and I am fully committed to collaboration, multilateralism, and fostering cooperation with all states, partners, and relevant stakeholders to move African aviation forward,” she exclaimed, following her appointment.

With Adefunke Adeyemi, the AFCAC has elected a leader who, thanks to her academic career and professional commitments in Lagos, Cambridge, UK, Singapore, Philadelphia and Berkeley, California, is very experienced in law and in conducting negotiations, and is well connected internationally. She favors consensual solutions to achieve objectives but does not shy away from conflict to solve issues.

Heiner Siegmund

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