The EAC Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA) has developed a five-year Strategic Plan which will guide the development of an effective and sustainable civil aviation oversight system in the region.
The Strategic Plan is the product of an exhaustive process that included a situation analysis in the EAC Partner States which was done by International Air Travel Association (the consultants); stakeholder consultations including two workshops; a review meeting involving experts from Partner States; customisation of the Strategic Plan and Organisation Development Plans and subsequently approval by the CASSOA Board.
Final stakeholder workshops hosted in the capitals of Partner States mark the final step before the Plan is submitted to the 20th Council of Ministers Meeting due in March 2010 for approval.
The Strategic Plan for the period 2010/11 to 2014/15 outlines goals/broad objectives of the Agency as well as the specific strategic objectives and strategies to be implemented and achieved during the planning period.
Contributing to the development of a sustainable, safe, secure and efficient civil aviation sub-sector in the region in line with the EAC objectives is the broad objective of the Plan. Mr Mtesigwa Maugo, the CASSOA Executive Director emphasises that this broad objective is within the EAC Treaty, CASSOA Protocol and it reflects the objective and mandate of its establishment of the Agency.
The Plan outlines three strategic objectives as follows; to rationalise the mandate of CASSOA in line with the dynamics in the aviation industry and the enhanced economic integration in the region; to build an effective and sustainable civil aviation oversight system in the region; to minimise aircraft incident and accident rates in the region.
The Strategic Plan is complemented by the Organisation Development (OD) Plan which highlights the evolution of the Agency from its current status to a more effective regional safety oversight organisation. The OD Plan will guide the implementation of the strategies and actions identified in the Strategic Plan by providing the required human resources, systems and structures.
Mr Maugo says the aviation sector in the region continues to post high traffic growth rates and that this expansion comes with safety concerns which if not adequately handled will negate the gains so far made and limit contribution of the sector to the economies of the region.