A new dawn is upon African civil aviation as Adefunke Adeyemi takes over the baton as Secretary General (SG) of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC). The news of her election was made known at the 34th AFCAC Plenary which took place in Dakar – Senegal on July 15, 2022.
Following the announcement of her election into office, Barr. Adeyemi expressed her commitment to the task at hand: “The vision for African aviation is to enable a fully connected, prosperous and united Africa. We have made so much progress; 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 fully committed to collaboration, multilateralism and fostering cooperation with all states, partners and relevant stakeholders, to move African aviation forward”, she said.
The recently appointed SG went on to encourage all relevant industry players to get to work immediately so as to make manifest the well-known but hidden potential present on the African continent:
“The time is now. Africa must fully connect for its own survival and prosperity. Civil aviation must continue to focus on its core areas and also work more closely 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.”
Prior to Adeyemi’s appointment, the office of SG was occupied by Mr. Mekonnen Teferra, whose tenure came to a close in January 2022; after which Angeline Simana worked as Interim SG of AFCAC.
A savvy aviation expert with over twenty (20) years of experience, Barr. Adeyemi’s career began as a practicing lawyer in Nigeria. She later moved on to become Virgin Nigeria Airways’ Company Secretary and General Counsel before joining the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where she worked for over twelve (12) years – her last position before her current election as SG of AFCAC.
She holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. Hons) from the University of Lagos – Nigeria; a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of Cambridge – UK and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Nanyang Business School – Singapore.
As IATA’s Regional Director for Advocacy and Strategic Relations, Africa, she worked tirelessly to achieve sustainability for air transport, tourism and trade on the African continent. In this role, she acquired valuable hands-on experience working towards the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
AFCAC is a specialized agency of the African Union (AU) mandated with overseeing civil aviation activities in Africa. It ensures the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision/SAATM on the continent through the facilitation and coordination of relevant instruments in a bid to achieve AFCAC’s and ultimately the AU’s overarching goals and objectives.
