SEVERAL states from Africa and the Caribbean have agreed that linkages between the two Regions are necessary for the preservation of the African culture and the development of shared economic benefits.

These sentiments were expressed by a panel of delegates at the Third African Diaspora Meeting on promoting air links between African States and the Caribbean, hosted at the Arthur Chung Conference Center on Friday.

Director-General of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Egbert Field, established that during World War Two Atkinson Air Field, now the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), had served as a means for war planes flying to Africa to stop for fuel and ration.
“It’s now peace time, why can’t that link be established again?” Field began. “It served the purpose during the war to bring peace and it now can serve a purpose during peace time to bring prosperity to the peoples who were divided because of selfish reasons.”
He stated further that “wherever people gather, money can be made” which is why such collaborations would only serve to work in the best interest of Africa, the Caribbean and South America.

Meanwhile, Director General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, Simon Allotey, said: “I am very, very optimistic to say the least because they are indicators to show that we are edging towards that connectivity…there is a greater awareness amongst the diaspora of the fact that we are one people just separated by colonialist powers who brought us into all forms of bondages.”

His optimism was shared by Director General of the Jamaica Civil Aviation Authority Nari Williams-Singh, who recommended the development of an action plan and urged the attending delegates to work together towards this end. “We have had many discussions, many declarations [and] statements; let’s put that into action now. Let’s identify what are the key enablers, let’s put those down. Where are the hurdles? Let’s address those hurdles. We need an action plan and we need champions of those action plans; individuals, organisations and states. So, next time we have a conference like this we can be looking at what we have achieved,” Williams-Singh advised.

Representative of Cabo Verde on the ICAO Council, Carlos Alberto Monteiro, too, commented stating that the topic of connectivity is an important debate which must continue until a positive change occurs.

Meanwhile, Diaspora Policy Officer at the Americas and the Caribbean African Union Commission, Kyeretwie Osei, said that the desire for bridging the gap between the Caribbean and Africa has always been central to the union.

“In our act we have explicit language in there that calls for the building of the continent through the efforts of citizens both on the continent and within the diaspora. I think maybe what has been missing overtime has been the institutional frameworks to actually pursue this goal,” he posited.

However, Osei noted that the missing link is beginning to show itself and change for the better and hopefully this will see greater improvements very soon.

During the conference, Director of Economic Regulations in Tanzania Daniel Malanga, told the Guyana Chronicle that soon Tanzania and Guyana will sign an air transport agreement for greater corporation. “We are about to sign with Guyana. We are negotiating on one item which is pending. Once we finish, we shall be signing in two or three months to come. We have considered a number of provisions which are of mutual benefit to both countries,” he stated.

Such collaborations do not come as a surprise to Senior Advisor of the Wicks Group, Cornelia Wilson-Hunter, who stated that over the years she has seen improvements in aviation in the Caribbean Region.

In addition she stated that with existing links in other locations such as North America, there is no probable reason as to why the African Diaspora should be excluded from the mix. “I am optimistic because when I started there were very few links between Africa and the United States…it just makes sense to have these links between the diaspora and Africa,” she said.

With this in mind, Minister of Aviation of Ghana Joseph Kofi Adda beckoned to those on the panel: “This is the chance for us to make it happen and you the leaders, particularly director-generals, you have the answers.”