The African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) has more than doubled its membership to 55 members in the 12 months since electing its new chairperson, Dawit Lemma, and vice chairperson, Craig Middleton.
The association has formed new committees covering unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and operators, and has strengthened its existing safety and training committee. It has also signed memorandums of understanding with the Commercial Aviation Association of South Africa (CAASA) and the Airlines Association of South Africa (AASA).
A milestone meeting with the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) resulted in an agreement for the agency to advocate on AfBAA’s behalf, representing business aviation interests at national civil aviation authorities and at ICAO.
“This was a breakthrough discussion, and we are delighted that the AFCAC can better support us in conversations with government and regulatory bodies,” said Lemma. “This cooperation will benefit all African aviation stakeholders, not just the individual organizations.”
Lemma added that AfBAA is working with NBAA and the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC) to encourage members to adopt IS-BAO and IS-BAH safety standards.
AfBAA hosted a dedicated pavilion at the Aviation Africa event in Kigali, with all 12 booths now booked for the 2026 Nairobi event in September.
Middleton said: “AfBAA acts as a bridge, adapting global frameworks to local conditions for effective implementation, which will boost the sector’s safety, efficiency and growth across the continent. We are proud to have fulfilled the promises we made when we took up responsibilities in May 2025.”
AfBAA’s strategy is built around five pillars: streamlining governance, expanding the aircraft segments eligible for membership, increasing international visibility, improving communications and acting as a unified voice with regulators and industry bodies.
