ADDIS ABABA, Feb. 16 (Xinhua) -- The African Union's Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) project has gained momentum with 39 African countries joining it to date, outgoing African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid said on Sunday.
Abou-Zeid made the remarks at a press conference held on the sidelines of the AU Summit on Sunday. She said the SAATM is becoming the backbone of Africa in terms of facilitating African Continental Free Trade Area and mobility of people.
"I am happy to say today we have now 39 African countries that have joined a single African air transport market, representing about one billion Africans. The market aims to reduce the cost and waiting time of travelers by almost 20 percent," Abou-Zeid said.
The SAATM is one of the flagship projects of the AU, aimed at creating a single market for air transport in Africa. Once completely in force, the single market is supposed to allow significant freedom of air transport in Africa, advancing the AU's Agenda 2063.
She said the 38th Ordinary Session of the African Union (AU) Assembly of the Heads of State and Government endorsed the manufacturing of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) from renewable sources. The SAF is believed to help reduce gas emissions between 60 and 100 percent compared to normal jet fuels.
According to the outgoing commissioner, the AU continues to drive transformative initiatives in the energy sector, reinforcing Africa's commitment to energy security, market integration, and sustainability.
"To position Africa as a leader in the emerging green hydrogen market, the AU has developed a Green Hydrogen Strategy and Action Plan, outlining policy and technical priorities for establishing a competitive green hydrogen sector," she said.
According to Abou-Zeid, the plan supports energy security, intra-Africa trade, and global exports, with a strong focus on decarbonizing industries such as transportation, manufacturing, and agriculture.
