The literature we reviewed also mentions other potential benefits to  improving aviation safety in Africa, including the following:  Improved safety of the global aviation system. Efforts have been made to improve connectivity as a means of creating  economic benefits for both the United States and African countries, as well as  for pursuing strategic and foreign policy interests. However, according  to U.S. government and African officials, many political leaders in African  countries have not prioritized aviation safety, in part because of more  pressing priorities, such as poverty, health care, and basic nutrition. The lack of priority for improving safety may create or exacerbate other  challenges frequently identified in the literature we reviewed and by  officials we interviewed, including weak aviation regulatory systems, a  lack of resources, inadequate infrastructure, a lack of human capital  expertise, and a lack of training capacity. Improving aviation safety in Africa has been  hindered by the lack of training capacity in some African countries. U.S. Assistance Has Helped Address Some Challenges but Could Benefit from Better Coordination

		DOT Provides Assistance to African Countries Primarily through the SSFA Program

DOT’s SSFA program has been the principal U.S. aviation safety assistance  program for African countries since its inception in 1998 as a presidential  initiative. The State Department provides funding  for the program from one of its appropriations—the Economic Support  Fund Account—and funding for the program has ranged from $8.5 million  from the appropriation for fiscal year 2003 to zero from the appropriations  for fiscal years 2008 and 2009 (see table 2). However, to stretch the resources through this date, DOT officials  said they have limited SSFA activities, focusing only on countries that are  making tangible progress in improving safety and regional initiatives. Currently, multiple federal agencies are working to  improve aviation safety or are funding aviation-related projects in Africa. These agencies have distinct missions and, consequently,  their efforts on the continent have different purposes, but their efforts  nonetheless intersect. The International Community Has Taken Steps to Address the Challenges

The international community also has taken steps to improve aviation safety  in Africa. The first major initiative, the  Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in  Africa (AFI Plan), was developed in 2007 to address aviation safety  concerns and support African countries in meeting their international  obligations for safety oversight. The purpose of this database is to facilitate the coordination of assistance  in order to better leverage limited resources. However, funding for the program has been inconsistent, and the future of  the SSFA program is uncertain because of resource constraints. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To address our objectives, we reviewed and synthesized reports and  studies on U.S. efforts to improve aviation safety in Africa, the Department  of Transportation’s (DOT) Safe Skies for Africa (SSFA) program, and  Africa’s aviation markets and safety records. A list of these agencies and  organizations follows:  Department of Transportation  Federal Aviation Administration  Department of Defense  Department of State  Millennium Challenge Corporation  National Transportation Safety Board  U.S. Agency for International Development  U.S. Trade and Development Agency  U.S. Trade Representative for Africa  International Civil Aviation Organization  World Bank  European Commission  European Aviation Safety Agency  MacArthur Foundation  Air Transport Association  American Association of Airport Executives  Flight Safety Foundation  International Air Transport Association  International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Association  Airbus  Boeing  Continental Airlines  Delta Airlines  Honeywell International, Inc.
To obtain additional information on aviation safety efforts in Africa, we  conducted site visits to four selected African countries. To identify the  African countries to visit, we reviewed published research on U.S. efforts to  improve aviation safety in Africa, comparable international efforts, Africa’s  aviation markets and safety record, and DOT and FAA documentation on  the SSFA program. We used the following criteria to ensure variation in the  countries chosen for site visits: (1) countries’ participation in the SSFA  program; (2) countries that have an FAA Category 1 rating, currently have  direct flights to the United States, and are not currently participating in the  SSFA program; (3) countries that have achieved an FAA Category 1 rating as  a result of the SSFA program; (4) countries that are not involved with the  SSFA program or do not have an FAA Category 1 rating, and have major  challenges and a poor safety record for aviation safety, with consideration  to geographic dispersion; and (5) countries that are involved in positive  efforts to meet international aviation safety standards and improve aviation  safety as a result of the SSFA program, such as countries that have been  involved in regional aviation safety oversight organizations to improve air  transport and aviation safety.
Why GAO Did This Study

The African continent is important to U.S. economic, strategic, and foreign policy interests, and efforts have been made to improve commerce and connectivity to benefit the two regions. However, the continent has the highest aviation accident rate in the world, which has hindered progress. Recognizing the importance of improving aviation safety in Africa, the United States and the international aviation community have worked to improve aviation safety in Africa. This congressionally requested report discusses (1) challenges in improving aviation safety in Africa, (2) key U.S. efforts to improve aviation safety in Africa and the extent to which they address the identified challenges, and (3) international efforts to improve aviation safety in Africa. To address these issues, GAO synthesized literature and aviation safety data, interviewed federal officials, and visited four African countries.

What GAO Found

Improving aviation safety in Africa is an important goal for the United States and the international aviation community. However, achieving that goal presents several challenges. The major challenge is the relatively low priority that political leaders in many African countries have accorded aviation safety, in part because of more pressing concerns such as widespread poverty, national health care issues, and a lack of awareness about the potential benefits of an improved aviation system. This relatively low priority placed on improving safety is reflected in the other challenges that were frequently identified in the literature GAO reviewed and by the officials GAO interviewed. These challenges include weak regulatory systems, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of technical expertise and training capacity. U.S. assistance to improve aviation safety in Africa has helped to address some challenges. For instance, the Department of Transportation's (DOT) Safe Skies for Africa (SSFA) program--created in 1998 as a presidential initiative--is the principal U.S. effort to improve aviation safety. One of the primary goals of the SSFA program is to increase the number of African countries that meet international aviation safety standards. Through memorandums of agreement, the State Department provides funding for the program and DOT manages the program. DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration work to help African countries meet international aviation safety standards by providing technical assistance and training. However, funding for the program has been inconsistent since its inception, with funding levels ranging from a high of $8.5 million from the Department of State's fiscal year 2003 appropriation to zero from its appropriations in fiscal years 2008 and 2009. DOT officials stated that current budgetary and personnel limitations hamper their ability to effectively implement the program. For example, DOT has currently limited SSFA activities to countries making tangible progress in improving safety, rather than directing activities to all participating countries. Given the potential benefits associated with improved aviation systems, two agencies that focus on economic development--the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Millennium Challenge Corporation--have also provided funding for aviation safety-related projects in Africa. However, coordination of U.S. efforts on the continent has not been consistent, because of differences in agency missions and program processes, resulting in potential duplication of effort and missed opportunities to leverage limited resources. Several international efforts have been implemented to assist and encourage African countries in improving their civil aviation systems. For example, in response to widespread concerns about the adequacy of aviation safety oversight on the continent, the International Civil Aviation Organization developed the Comprehensive Regional Implementation Plan for Aviation Safety in Africa to help African countries meet their international obligations for safety oversight. The World Bank also provides funding for African countries to address aviation needs and deficiencies.