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South Africa’s Minister of Tourism, Patricia de Lille, has urged the African Union (AU) to expedite implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) to improve air connectivity across the continent.
According to her, enhanced air travel would help boost tourism, trade and economic integration in Africa.
SAATM, a flagship initiative of the AU Agenda 2063, aims to create a single unified air transport market to liberalise civil aviation in Africa.
Despite agreements dating back to 2012, the initiative is yet to be fully realised.
Expressing her frustration over the slow progress, Mrs de Lille underscored the challenges African travellers faced due to poor interconnectivity.
Travel within Africa remains challenging. Our interconnectivity is inadequate, forcing some of us to fly out of the continent and back just to reach certain destinations within Africa. This must change,” she stated.
She was speaking at a breakfast meeting held in Accra yesterday to facilitate discussions between senior officials from both countries to enhance bilateral tourism cooperation.
Mrs de Lille is currently in Ghana for a two-day special outreach programme aimed at strengthening tourism partnerships and promoting cultural exchange between the two nations.
Mrs de Lille linked the delays in SAATM’s implementation to broader challenges in intra-African trade and movement, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
“The AfCFTA is not just about moving goods, it’s also about moving people. We need to unite and advocate real progress within the AU,” she emphasised.
Despite the strong historical ties between Ghana and South Africa, she noted that the lack of efficient air travel options continued to hinder seamless engagement between the two nations.
“When I arrived on South African Airways earlier this week, I was disappointed to see empty seats in both economy and business class. This signals a need for South Africa to do more in promoting travel to Ghana,” she said.
Beyond air transport, the minister highlighted the importance of strengthening tourism and trade partnerships between Ghana and South Africa.
She pointed to the 2011 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism between the two nations, which covered areas such as tourism investment, information exchange, travel assistance and joint marketing. However, she noted that those agreements remained largely underutilised.
“Agreements alone hold no value if they remain filed away and forgotten. We must commit to them and actively implement their provisions,” she said.
Even though there are about 150 South African companies currently operating in Ghana, she stressed that more must be done to deepen commercial ties to unlock new opportunities for both countries.
The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Dzifa Abla Gomashie, in a speech read on her behalf by the Director in Charge of Tourism at the ministry, Jeffery Tamakloe, indicated that Ghana and South Africa shared a rich history, vibrant cultures and a deep connection through their common heritage.
She said a recent statistics indicated that the arrival of Ghanaians in South Africa had increased by 140 per cent in the last five years.
This significant rise, she said, highlighted the growing interest in South Africa as a preferred destination for Ghanaian travellers.
“The question is, how are we encouraging South African tourists to visit Ghana and adopt Ghana as their second home.
This presents an opportunity for us to intensify our efforts in promoting Ghana as an attractive destination for South African travellers.
To address this, we must take strategic steps to enhance our marketing and promotional activities,” Madam Gomashie said.
