African countries are facing challenges to comply with requirements on quality management systems of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has stated
During the official opening of the second bureau of the African Ministerial Conference on Meteorology (AMCOMET) in Zimbabwe’s capital Harare, Michel Jarraud, secretary general of the WMO, said, “Out of 17 members of the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), only seven have recently undergone external audits and are working on the non-conformances identified. Others have started the process and in total 11 members are certified with a number at advanced stage of the quality management system implementation.”
Jarraud added that training activities are being implemented. The deadline for compliance with competency assessment for personnel serving international air navigation was 1 December 2013.
“The deadline is rather limited with only a few countries that have reported as having commenced assessment,” said Jarraud.
Joseph Mukabana, director of the regional office at WMO, added that the Nairobi Declaration requested that all necessary steps be taken to ensure that National Meteorological Services in Africa meet the ICAO requirements regarding the quality management systems, whose deadline was November 2012.
“However, it will be reported that many African countries have yet to meet the deadline,” Mukabana said.
The ministers at the Nairobi meeting urged the WMO and the African Union Commission to support the African National Meteorological Services meet the ICAO requirements regarding quality management systems and competency assessments.
— By Wallace Mawire
