Thankful for the proactive support and technical assistance being provided by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to the Republic of Chad, the Secretary of State for Civil Aviation and National Meteorology, Ms. Haoua Acyl Ahmat Aghabach, has reiterated her nation’s strong resolve for enhancing its air transport system during a recent meeting with ICAO’s Council President, Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, and ICAO Secretary General, Mr. Raymond Benjamin.
“Our country faces many challenges with regards to aviation safety and security. We are grateful for the capacity-building efforts being made by ICAO under the No Country Left Behind initiative and are fully committed to working with ICAO to establish effective safety and security oversight systems,” commented Ms. Haoua Acyl Ahmat Aghabach.
The meeting, which was also attended by the Deputy Director General of Chad’s Civil Aviation Authority, Mr. Moustapha Abakar, and the Permanent Representative of Cameroon on the ICAO Council, Mr. Englebert Zoa Etundi, reviewed the major challenges now facing Chad, including compliance with international civil aviation Standards and Recommend Practices (SARPs), meeting the Abuja Safety Targets and ICAO AFI Plan objectives, aviation safety and security capacity-building, and certification of the State’s Hassan Djamous International Airport.
Additionally, given the continued threat posed by terrorist groups in the region, Chad appealed to ICAO’s most senior officials for additional support in the areas of travel document security, training development, and security oversight.
“ICAO will be doing everything in its power to ensure that Chad will not be left behind where the benefits of safe, secure and reliable air transport are concerned,” stressed ICAO Council President Aliu. “This is a basic priority for ICAO today under our No Country Left Behind programme, given the important socio-economic development links between access to international air transport and local prosperity.”
As an important next step in the process, President Aliu confirmed that ICAO will soon be sending an emergency expert team to Chad to assess the aviation security situation. The UN aviation body will also continue to provide further project support to Chad through its Regional Office in Dakar, Senegal.
