Challenges and Complexities Affecting African Air Transport Market Development: A Skills, Competency, and Capacity-Building Perspective

In this chapter of the provided document delves into the intricate challenges and complexities that pervade the development of the African air transport market, with a keen focus on the pivotal roles of skills, competency, and capacity building. This comprehensive analysis reveals a multifaceted perspective on how the sector is confronting and addressing the myriad of issues related to training, development, and workforce management, underscoring the critical importance of human capital in ensuring the growth and sustainability of air transport across the continent. The chapter begins with an exploration of the fundamental significance of training and development within the industry, setting the stage for a detailed investigation into the current landscape of skills, training, and development across Africa. It meticulously examines the intricacies of record-keeping, the broader context of air transport in Africa from a training and development viewpoint, and projects the demand for aviation-skilled personnel, illuminating the gaps in training across the aviation sector. Furthermore, the chapter discusses the entities providing aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) services, addresses the “No Country Left Behind” initiative, and delves into the gender imbalance in aviation. It also tackles the themes of restructuring and change management, the utilisation of dashboards to track agility performance, leadership development, and succession planning, and the pivotal relationship between aviation and the environment. A significant portion of the chapter is dedicated to conducting a training needs analysis on Africa’s aviation personnel, presenting a methodological framework for executing such an analysis with limited resources. This analysis is not only comprehensive, covering the design of surveys and the interpretation of research findings, but also focuses on the strategies to maximise and measure the impact of training programmes and the design and development of effective training modules.