About 80 per cent of airports in Africa are not financially efficient, the Secretary General of Airports Council International (ACI) Africa, Ali Tounsi, has said.
He disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja ahead of the 35th ACI Africa Annual General Assembly, Regional Conference and Exhibition scheduled for September 19 to 25.
Tounsi said African airports were facing challenges relating to financial efficiency, digitalisation, environmental changes and operational resilience.
“About 80% of the airports in Africa are not efficient financially. This is the first,” he said.
He added that the challenges went beyond infrastructure and funding to include digitalisation, environmental risks, skills and workforce development.
“It’s not about infrastructure only. It’s not about money only. It’s about everything, digitalisation, preparation, environment, skills, people, the future, everything,” Tounsi said.
He explained that the conference would provide an opportunity for airport experts and industry stakeholders to discuss solutions to the challenges facing African airports.
Tounsi said more than 500 participants and over 40 speakers, sponsors and exhibitors were expected at the event, exceeding the initial estimate of between 350 and 400 delegates.
He noted that the higher attendance could create logistical challenges.
“This may cause some problems with logistics because the number is exceeding what we were predicting in the beginning,” he said.
Tounsi said Nigeria was chosen to host the event because it was one of the biggest aviation markets in Africa and a major market in West Africa.
He added that the gathering would help African airports exchange experiences and improve their operations.
The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Olubunmi Kuku, said Nigerian airports were undergoing transformation and modernisation but still had areas where they needed to catch up with other markets.
“But we realize that we’re still sort of playing catch up as opposed to what you’re seeing in a bit of the other markets,” Kuku said.
She added that the conference would allow Nigerian airport stakeholders to learn about modern technology and infrastructure that could be adopted in the country’s airports.
“It’s an opportunity to learn, it’s an opportunity to understand more modernized, upgraded technology infrastructure or service infrastructure that we can take up within our airport environment,” she said.
Kuku explained that FAAN was working with security agencies and sister agencies to prepare for the conference, adding that dedicated desks had been established at the Lagos and Abuja international airports to assist participants.
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