STORY: Africa's single air transport market gains momentum: AU commissioner
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 16, 2025
DATELINE: Feb. 17, 2025
LENGTH: 00:01:27
LOCATION: Addis Ababa
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the meeting
2. SOUNDBITE (English): AMANI ABOU-ZEID, Outgoing African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy
3. various of the meeting

STORYLINE:

The African Union's Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) project has gained momentum with 39 African countries joining it to date, outgoing African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid said on Sunday.

Abou-Zeid made the remarks at a press conference held on the sidelines of the AU Summit on Sunday. She said the SAATM is becoming the backbone of Africa in terms of facilitating African Continental Free Trade Area and mobility of people.

SOUNDBITE (English): AMANI ABOU-ZEID, Outgoing African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy
"I am happy to say today we have now 39 African countries that have joined a single African air transport market, representing about one billion Africans, which is the market that aims to reduce the cost and waiting time of travelers by almost 20 percent. 
During COVID, together with the commissioner in charge of social affairs, together with the African CDC, we led the continent in the campaign saving lives and saving livelihoods, making sure that when we implement the health policies and health guidelines, we also still make sure that the livelihood of people across Africa and the mobility, especially for landlocked countries, is not compromised."

The SAATM is one of the flagship projects of the AU, aimed at creating a single market for air transport in Africa. Once completely in force, the single market is supposed to allow significant freedom of air transport in Africa, advancing the AU's Agenda 2063.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Addis Ababa.
(XHTV)