By Jean Baptiste Ndabananiye
The promise of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD)—Africa’s flagship agreement to liberalize the skies, ensure fair competition, and protect consumers, for over two decades— has remained unrealized, leaving the continent’s air transport sector fragmented, expensive, and inaccessible for numerous citizens. Protectionist policies, weak enforcement, and limited awareness among states have slowed progress, forcing travelers to detour through non-African nations and stifling regional trade and integration.
Now, a pivotal capacity-building workshop organized by the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), the Dispute Settlement Mechanism (DSM) Secretariat and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) is set to change course. Bringing together regulators, competition and consumer protection authorities and experts, airlines, and courts from across Africa, the September 2025 workshop aims to harmonize laws, empower institutions, and translate the YD’s long-delayed vision into practical action. Advocates say that this effort will mark a turning point in opening Africa’s skies—rendering travel cheaper, safer, and more connected, while boosting trade and economic growth.
The implementation of the YD will bring relief not only to business leaders and everyday citizens, but also to aviation officials and African leaders themselves. This can be substantiated by the words of the President of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, in his 27 and 28 August 2025 working visit to Rwanda. “Here in Africa, we have this challenge of linking our countries through air services. Countries in Africa, for somebody to travel to a neighboring country, first they have to go to Europe, to come back to Africa. And sometimes, people have to fly to Doha [Qatar], to come back to Africa.
Even, for us to come here, we had to go first to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to come to Kigali or we could have travelled through Johannesburg in South Africa, to come to Kigali. So, I spoke about this with the President Paul Kagame that there is a need for us to have this aerial link between Maputo-Kigali, Kigali-Maputo.” During the workshop which started today, an aviation official from a North Africa country but who didn’t wish to be identified, because he wasn’t authorized to speak, also revealed the same issue. “Even for me to arrive here in Kigali, I was forced to pass through Doha,” he said.
Reviving a 26-year promise— unlocking Africa’s skies
After decades of delay, Africa now moves to enforce its own open skies pact from stalled vision to practical action, strengthening the Yamoussoukro Decision. 44 African states adopted the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) in 1999—almost 3 decades (26 years) close to passing since it was taken. “The Yamoussoukro Decision is a continental decision on air transport, to liberalize the air transport sector, because at the moment the air transport sector in Africa is kind of not well developed,” Zacharia King’ori, PhD, told media today. King’ori is works as the Senior Transport Economist at COMESA Secretariat, heading the Transport Unit where air transport issues are situated.
He adds “There is protectionism; there is no kind of fair competition which is supposed to promote more usage of air transport, cheaper, more efficient and available. Because the way the air transport sector is at the moment, it is not well developed to such that connectivity is not good. You want to travel from one African city to another, you find difficulties; flights are not available, you are forced to use a lot of time, wait, you waste a lot of time, and it is very expensive to be afforded by African citizens.
This Yamoussoukro Decision is supposed to alleviate all these problems so that we have an efficient air transport sector in Africa where more people can be able to use it, there is competition which will be able to drive prices down so that we can be able to afford and be able to get more connected, for more trade, for more movement of people and goods— all this. There are so many benefits from an efficient, competitive air transport sector.”
At the heart of the workshop lies a focus on strengthening mechanisms that are expected to make the YD truly effective. Officials emphasize that beyond policy promises, practical tools are needed to resolve disputes, safeguard passengers, and ensure fair competition in the skies, as Dr. King’ori explains. “And now when we come to this workshop, it is about capacity-building on three main areas which are, from the Yamoussoukro Decision, annexes. The first one is on dispute settlement. If you have differences between airlines, between member states; they can be settled amicably, in a good way such that it promotes collaboration, good friendship and be able to have good air transport. That is annex 3.
Then, there is annex 5 on consumer protection. There is also annex 6. These two annexes are supposed to promote fair competition, and consumer protection. Sometimes the consumers find problems, maybe with service providers—the airlines. And, how can their concerns be addressed? We need to ensure that their rights are observed, and they are able to get the best service—the paid service from the service providers.”
A central pillar of the YD is competition—seen as the driving force behind affordable fares and improved service quality. Without it, the cost of air travel remains high, and passengers are left with limited options. Dr. King’ori stresses “Then about competition, as I said about competition, it is to ensure that we get the best services, we get the best prices and then the service is available. You know very well, this is simple economics; when there are so many providers, you get the best price because they are competing and you get good quality service. But when you don’t have that competition, some people want to exclude others from competing and participating, you get very expensive services and the quality is not good. So, we want to promote competition.
In fact, the main reason for the Yamoussoukro Decision was to liberalize—to make sure that the air transport sector is open for anybody who would like to do business there, provided that you meet the required requirements from the members states and from the regions, so that through competition we are going to have quality and affordable and good services. So, we are building capacity to our member states, to regional economic communities, to air transport providers—we have had the African Airlines Association; to liberalize the air transport sector in Africa. ”
Besides COMESA, the regional economic communities, he refers to, include the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, Intergovernmental Authority on Development, as well as Western and Central Africa economic bodies.
Emmanuel Nuwamanya, the Guest of Honor who delivered opening remarks, serves as the Head of the Department of Policy and Planning at Rwanda’s Ministry of Infrastructure—MININFRA. He also emphasizes the importance of the workshop in advancing the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision, noting “This workshop will help us in three spheres— consumer protection in air transport, competition and peaceful dispute resolution—which are covered in three annexes. All the workshop participants will discuss all those areas, in effort to execute the YD.”
From understanding to implementation
A key question is what guarantees that this flagship capacity-building workshop will effectively translate the Yamoussoukro Decision into concrete action which has not been executed for around 3 decades. Dr. King’ori responds to it. “We grow capacities, so that the member states can be able to understand more of what is needed and what they can be able to ensure it is included in their regulations and their laws, to ensure that they can be able to adopt the requirements of the YD—to ensure there is competition, consumers are protected, and if there is problem, it can be sold amicably. It is more like awareness, and to make sure that the stakeholders have the required capacity, the right knowledge, to ensure that they are able to implement the YD.”
On this question about whether the current workshop can finally change the status quo, Nuwamanya also highlights why the training is crucial for overcoming the obstacles. “The reasons for its delay are exactly the ones which have prompted us to undergo this training. In fact, people didn’t use to understand it, justifying the reason why the countries have concluded ‘Let people especially practitioners in this industry be capacity-built, so the agreement may be executed.’ That’s what I can say.”
People generally wonder whether the Yamoussoukro Decision has remained unimplemented simply because many do not fully understand it. They also ask themselves how the current capacity-building workshop will tackle practical challenges, such as the need to route flights through non-African countries. In response, the COMESA Secretariat official explains that the lack of awareness may not be the only one reason. “Not necessarily, but that is also one of the reasons—they don’t understand the basics of the YD, why African heads of state and government have been pushing for the YD. Some don’t understand, if you don’t understand, you don’t implement it collectively. There are also some other reasons slowed down the YD, maybe political and others, but also having the right knowledge is important to ensure that it is implemented.”
You know the capacity-building, as I mentioned, is dealing with three areas: dispute settlement, fair competition, and consumer protection. When we address these issues, we are able to ensure that the YD ideals are included in our national and regional institutions.”
Nuwamanya underscores that without proper implementation, signed agreements remain ineffective, hindering both air transport and trade across Africa. He explains why translating the Yamoussoukro Decision into practical action has been challenging, and how the capacity-building workshop is designed to address these obstacles. “You also understand it; when an agreement has been signed, it needs to be implemented. When it isn’t executed, it causes problems; the reason why, this training has been organized for countries to agree on how the agreement [YD] shall be carried out.
It has been observed that air transport among African countries can’t materialize smoothly, and trade among these nations can’t happen, unless the YD is executed. Though the implementation of the YW has been late, these capacity-building interventions being conducted will allow people to comprehend problems being caused by the non-implementation of the YD, so that they will therefore incorporate it into their national implementation plans like five-year or 10-year plans.”
One of the most pressing obstacles to efficient air travel within Africa is the need for travelers to detour through non-African countries, adding both time and cost. Nuwamanya explains the impact and how the Yamoussoukro Decision could resolve it. “What has to be corrected includes the fact that African wishing to go to an African country will be obliged to pass through other countries outside Africa like those in Asia or America. Going through those nations, while you are flying to an African country, constitutes a problem.
Implemented, the YD will permit you to directly travel to any African nation, without having to pass through other countries external to Africa. I don’t know whether you can’t easily notice that this entails higher air transport costs. The further you go while travelling to a country, the higher the price you will pay. If the YD is executed, it will certainly decrease the cost. Though we cannot determine the amount, there is conspicuously an additional cost you incur because of passing through other countries, to enter an African nation.”
During the opening of the workshop, it was emphasized that this gathering marks the first time all relevant institutions have come together in a single convening. This unprecedented assembly was highlighted as a compelling indication that the workshop is poised to produce concrete mechanisms. Such collaboration among key stakeholders reportedly underscores the commitment to translating the Yamoussoukro Decision into actionable outcomes. The very fact of their joint presence was underscored to demonstrate a strong foundation for achieving tangible progress on the YD.
Following the decision of the 15th Monitoring Body Meeting held in Nairobi, Kenya (28–30 October 2024), a mandate was given to the DSM Secretariat to work with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in raising awareness and building capacity on the application and operationalization of the YD Annex 3 on Dispute Settlement.
Building on this decision, and recognizing the broader framework of regulatory enforcement under the YD, the AFCAC carries roles to play with regard to the implementation of YD Annex 5 (Competition Regulation) and YD Annex 6 (Consumer Protection Regulation).
As the Executing Agency of the YD and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), AFCAC is assigned to the mandate of overseeing, managing, and enforcing the implementation of Annexes 5 and 6. Its responsibilities include developing regulatory tools, monitoring compliance, supporting Member States and RECs in domesticating these instruments, and raising awareness across the continent.
Air transport liberalization on other continents?
We will revisit this topic in one of our upcoming articles to examine the state of air transport liberalization across different continents. The focus will be on varying approaches and progress in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. We aim to highlight where policies have moved toward liberalization and where significant restrictions still exist. The article will explore both potential opportunities and ongoing challenges in these regions. Readers can expect an analysis of factors shaping the pace and scope of liberalization in each context. By revisiting this issue, we hope to provide a clearer picture of what liberalization could look like worldwide.