By Jelilah Bilal
When more than 950 aviation leaders, Heads of State, Ministers, Directors General of Civil Aviation, regulators, airline executives, airport operators, investors and development partners gathered in Lomé for the inaugural African Air Transport Convention & Expo, the focus was understandably on the decisions that would shape the future of African aviation.
The adoption of the Lomé Declaration and its Implementation Matrix signalled more than the successful conclusion of a landmark gathering. It reflected a growing commitment across the continent to move from ambition to implementation, accelerating the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and strengthening aviation’s role in Africa’s economic integration.
Behind that momentum is a new generation of African leaders working to transform aviation from a sector into a strategic driver of development. Among them is Adefunke Adeyemi, Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), whose leadership has increasingly focused on building the partnerships, policy alignment and institutional collaboration needed to make a connected Africa a reality. The inaugural Convention itself reflected that approach.
Convened by AFCAC under her leadership in partnership with the African Union Commission, the AfCFTA Secretariat and AUDA-NEPAD, it attracted an unprecedented coalition of policymakers, regulators, airlines, airports, investors, development finance institutions, technology providers and international partners around a shared vision for Africa’s aviation future.
For Adeyemi, the Convention was never simply about bringing people into the same room. It was about creating the conditions for meaningful collaboration and measurable progress.
According to her, “Africa is moving beyond conversations about a single sky and towards building a more integrated aviation ecosystem where connectivity becomes a driver of continental growth.” That philosophy has shaped much of her work throughout her career.
Long before the renewed momentum around SAATM, Adeyemi was contributing to the evidence base that strengthened the case for greater air connectivity across Africa. During her time at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), she led the landmark twelve-country Value of Aviation study, demonstrating aviation’s economic contribution across the continent. The study became an important reference in the conversations that supported the launch of SAATM in 2018.
Her long-held view that the African Continental Free Trade Area creates the market while SAATM connects it has since become an increasingly influential way of understanding the relationship between aviation and economic integration. It also provided a clear strategic thread throughout the discussions in Lomé.
Those who have followed her career recognise a consistent leadership approach. Rather than treating aviation as a standalone industry, she has consistently positioned it as critical infrastructure for trade, investment, tourism, job creation and regional integration.
That perspective was evident throughout the Convention’s agenda, from discussions on improving connectivity and affordability to advancing digital transformation, sustainable aviation, infrastructure investment and human capital development.
The significance of the inaugural African Air Transport Convention & Expo therefore extends beyond the event itself. It demonstrated what is possible when governments, regulators, industry leaders and development partners align around a common purpose and commit not only to dialogue, but to implementation.
As Africa advances the ambitions of Agenda 2063 and the African Continental Free Trade Area, aviation will play an increasingly important role in determining how efficiently people, goods and opportunities move across the continent.
For leaders like Adefunke Adeyemi, the task now is to sustain the momentum created in Lomé and translate continental commitments into lasting outcomes.
The Convention may have concluded, but the transformation it seeks to accelerate is only just beginning.
