Rwanda is ready to host Aviation Africa 2017, says RCAA

Rwanda is ready to host the Aviation Africa 2017 forum scheduled for next month in the Rwandan capital Kigali, according to the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority (RCAA).

The high-level meeting and exhibition slated from Feb. 22 to 23 will focus on all aspects of the aviation industry including maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), business aviation, defense and commercial aviation.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Tony Barigye, chief public relations at RCAA, said that the Rwandan aviation industry is ready to host the forum that promotes the growth of aviation sector in Africa.

“The meeting will be an opportunity for the Rwanda aviation to showcase the achievements recorded for the past few years, and the industry’s vision,” he said.

Aviation Africa 2017 will be the second event in the Aviation Africa series, the first having been held in May 2015 in Dubai, according to event organizers.

The conference is expected to attract more than 2,700 aviation experts to discuss opportunities and challenges in Africa’s aviation sector.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) latest forecast, Rwanda is one of the ten African countries whose aviation market is expected to grow by 7-8 percent each year on average over the next 20 years, doubling in size each decade.

According to Frank Murangwa, acting chief executive of Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), hosting the event is part of Rwanda’s bid for holding more international conferences through the Rwanda MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) Initiative.

For the past decade, Rwanda has been expanding its aviation industry with the government making renewed commitment to support the sector.

The small central African nation has injected 19 million U.S. dollars to upgrade and expand Kigali International Airport and embarked on construction of Bugesera Airport that costs 818 million dollars.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *