The East African Community Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) is established as a self-accounting Institution of the East African Community. The Protocol for Establishment of the Agency was signed on 18th April, 2007 by the founder Partner States of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda Ministers responsible for civil aviation. Thereafter the Agency was formally established by the Summit of Heads of State at the 5th Extraordinary Meeting in Kampala, Uganda on 18th June 2008.
The East African Community (EAC) is the regional economic community of the Republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania. The EAC CASSOA is a specialised agency of the Community responsible for ensuring the development of safe and secure civil aviation system in the region.
Objective and Functions of the Agency
The objectives and functions of the Agency are detailed in Articles 4 and 5 of the Protocol respectively. The main objectives of the Agency in brief are to ensure coordinated development of an effective and sustainable civil aviation safety and security oversight infrastructure in the Community.
The institution in its current structure of ‘basic model’ is as recommended by ICAO and is mainly involved in three major functions:
- Harmonising operating Regulations to ensure that they meet the international standards and recommended practices;
- Developing standardised procedures for licensing, approving, certificating and supervising civil aviation activities; and
- Providing guidance and assistance to States including putting in place measures for resource sharing particularly for the technical personnel.
Institutional Structure
The Agency is established in the ‘basic structure’ designed to work with the Partner States Civil Aviation Authorities, that of Burundi CAA, Kenya CAA, Rwanda CAA, Tanzania CAA and CAA Uganda, which retain the responsibilities of regulating the civil aviation activities in their territories covering licensing, approving, certificating and ensuring compliance and enforcing violations.
The Agency will evolve to a more complex organisation structure – a full regional organisation – with the Partner States Civil Aviation Authorities delegating part of their functions and responsibilities concerning licensing, approval and certification of personnel, organisations and aeronautical products, based on common regional regulations and procedures. The rate of evolution will depend on the Organisation Evolvement Plan being designed together with the Five Year Strategic Plan.
Governance of the Agency
The Agency as a self accounting institution of the Community is governed by the Board of Directors. Membership to this Board includes all the heads of civil aviation authorities of the Partner States, the Executive Director and aviation experts, one from each Partner States nominated by the Minister responsible for civil aviation.
The Board has established two Technical Committees to facilitate management and carrying out the functions and obligations of the Agency. The Technical Committee – Regulatory (TC-R) is responsible for all technical and regulatory issues relating to safety and security oversight while the Technical Committee – Finance and Administration (TC – F & A) is responsible for the administration and management of resources of the Agency.
Financing the Agency
The Agency is mainly funded by contributions from the Partner States through their Civil Aviation Authorities. Other sources of funds specified under the Protocol include resources mobilised by the Community, grants, revenue from the activities of the Agency and any other sources approved by the Council of Ministers of the East African Community.
Current Initiatives
The Agency, in line with its mandate, is involved in the harmonisation of civil aviation safety and security regulations and development of applicable technical guidance materials.
So far the progress is encouraging in sense that flight safety, aerodrome and security regulations have been completed and harmonised in the three founder States of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The development of harmonised Regulations in the area of air navigation services as well as developing applicable technical guidance materials is at advanced stage.
The applicable technical guidance materials for the flight safety standards were approved by the Board in 2009. The current effort is now dedicated to assist the Five States in re-certification of the existing operators and personnel to the harmonised Regulations.
