Niaro ny fampandrosoana ny fitaterana an'habakabaka afrikanina ny filohan'i Zanzibar

Te hisarihana mpandeha maro kokoa avy any Afrika sy kaontinanta hafa, ny Filoha Zanzibar dia niaro ny fampandrosoana haingana ny lanitra Afrikana ho an'ny zotram-piaramanidina Afrikana.

Nilaza ny Filohan'i Zanzibar Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein fa efa ela no nibahana ny lanitry ny kaontinanta sy ny tsenan'ny sidina ny zotram-piaramanidina tsy afrikanina. Nitady ezaka bebe kokoa izy mba hahatonga ny mpitatitra an'habakabaka afrikanina ho mavitrika kokoa hifaninana amin'ireo zotram-piaramanidina vahiny.

“Mazava fa ny 80 isan-jaton'ny tsenan'ny zotra an'habakabaka afrikanina dia avy amin'ny zotram-piaramanidina tsy Afrikana voasoratra anarana”, hoy ny Dr. Shein tamin'ireo solontena tamin'ny fivoriamben'ny Fikambanan'ny zotram-piaramanidina Afrikana (AFRAA) naharitra telo andro tany Zanzibar.

Nilaza izy tamin'ny fanambarana novakiana nandritra ny fivoriana fanokafana ny fivoriambe, fa na ny fizahan-tany sy ny indostrian'ny fiaramanidina dia laharana amin'ny sehatra ara-toekarena mitombo haingana indrindra ao amin'ny kaontinanta Afrikana izay mila fanatsarana ny fidiran'ny mpizaha tany sy ny fanitarana ny zotram-piaramanidina amin'ny alàlan'ny fikambanana.

Nanantitrantitra ny filohan’i Zanzibar fa manana anjara toerana lehibe amin’ny fanafainganana ny fitomboana ara-toekarena sy ny fanomezana tombontsoa ara-toekarena sy ara-tsosialy isan-karazany ho an’ny kaontinanta ny indostrian’ny fiaramanidina.

“Ny fitaterana an'habakabaka sy ny fizahantany dia isan'ny sehatra mitombo haingana indrindra eran-tany. Fantatsika rehetra fa saika tsy azo sarahina ny fizahan-tany sy ny fitsangatsanganana. Mifameno ireo indostria roa ireo, ”hoy izy.

Ny fanaovana reference amin'ny World Travel and Tourism Council's (WTTC) Tatitra momba ny fiantraikany ara-toekarena 2018, hoy ny Dr Shein nandritra ny taona fahafito nisesy, ny fitsangatsanganana sy ny fizahan-tany dia nandray anjara betsaka tamin'ny harinkarena faobe maneran-tany.

“By 2028, the travel and tourism industries are expected to support over 400 million jobs at a ratio of one to nine of all jobs,” he noted.

The Isles President underscored the need to work towards a more integrated and connected Africa and challenged participants of the 7th AFRAA Convention to device new strategies to promote proper management of intra-African connectivity to enhance competitiveness for great benefits among African airlines.

He told the convention participants to deliberate on the challenges facing the air transport sector in the continent to come up with resolutions that will create more integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, enjoying higher flow of tourists and flourishing aviation sector.

Dr. Shein informed delegates that according to recent statistics from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), the tourism and aviation sectors remain robust to boost employment and the world economy.

Tourism has the potential to be the leading income generator on the continent after oil and gas, but African countries have yet to utilize its full potential, he said.

The AFRAA Secretary General Abderahmane Berthé said the convention, themed “Harnessing Aviation Opportunities in Africa”, was designated for aviation stakeholders to deliberate on opportunities and challenges facing the industry.
Mr. Berthe said the sector was an important contributor to economic development in Africa by increasing trade activities and enabling faster and easier movement of passengers and goods. He however said there were several challenges including high costs of operation and competition from non-African carriers.

“African countries through AFRAA must ensure substantial investment in the aviation sector through enhancing available infrastructure”, he added.

Most of African countries are endowed with natural resources but their tourism attraction potentials are not reached due to poor or lack of aviation services, Berthe noted.

International Air Transport Association (IATA) vice president Raphael Kuuchi told the delegates of the Convention that governments must implement progams to support the development of the aviation sector.

He said African countries get more than $72 billion from the aviation industry through increasing numbers of tourists visiting the continent annually.

Mr. Kuuchi said Africa should also address infrastructure crisis which is looming especially as demand for air transport continues to grow.

He warned that development plans are not well addressed to make Africa benefit from the 7.2 billion air passengers expected to fly in the next 20 years.

Presentations at the AFRAA convention covered topics such as growth and profitability in a liberalized environment, airfreight in an interconnected environment, use of data to transform aviation business, effective implementation of the single African air transport, and sustainable infrastructural development for Africa.

Last year’s AFRAA stakeholder’s convention was held in Hammamet, Tunisia in May under the theme ‘Collaboration for sustainable aviation growth in Africa.

The Indian Ocean Island of Zanzibar had attracted 479,242 last year compared to 433,166 in 2016, with the number of tourists expected to increase by 14.2 percent to at least 500,000 arrivals in the next two years.