The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) has announced Ms. Adefunke Adeyemi as the newly elected Secretary-General of the commission on July 15, 2022 at the 34th AFCAC Plenary in Dakar, Senegal.
She takes over from the former Secretary-General, Tefera Mekonnen Teferra, whose tenure ended in January 2022, following which Ms. Angeline Simana acted as AFCAC Interim Secretary-General.
Speaking shortly after the election, Adeyemi said her focus was to build on the progress already made by previous Secretaries-General and teams of AFCAC to create a new dawn for change through positive action
for AFCAC and the African aviation industry. The Trumpet Gathered
“The vision for African aviation is to enable a fully connected, prosperous and united Africa. We have made progress and so, we must stay the course and build on current momentum to strengthen existing partnerships and create new mutually beneficial relationships.
“We are stronger together and I am committed to collaboration, multilateralism and fostering cooperation with all states, partners and relevant stakeholders to move African aviation forward,” she said.
With an international career spanning over 20 years, Adeyemi began her career as a lawyer in Nigeria, Company Secretary and General Counsel to Virgin Nigeria Airways before joining the International Air Transport
Association (IATA) where she has worked in different roles in the last 12 years.
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In her current role as Regional Director, External Affairs and Sustainability for Africa, she advocates for the sustainability of air transport, trade, tourism and business across the region, highlighting its positive socioeconomic impact and value as strategic enablers and accelerators of development and growth across Africa and beyond.
Prior to her appointment, Adeyemi has been the IATA focal point for the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and a Private Sector Champion of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), two strategic policy initiatives of the African Union designed to promote intra-African connectivity and trade to secure Africa’s integration and prosperity.
Adeyemi, however, solicited collaboration in tackling the challenges facing African aviation and harness the opportunities that abound to translate the potential of the continent’s aviation sector into reality.
“The time is now. Africa must fully connect, for its survival and prosperity. Civil aviation must continue to focus on its core areas and also work much closer with the tourism and trade sectors. This synergy, which must be intentional, will ensure that African aviation survives, grows and thrives for the benefit of Africa and its citizens,” she added.
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