The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on Africa’s aviation industry. Various organisations, individually and collectively, have made efforts to cushion this impact in the short, medium and long-term. This has resulted in the articulation of strategies and plans for the survival, recovery and sustainability of the industry. At the same time, Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) have created facilities to help mitigate the impact of the pandemic on vital sectors of the economies of countries on the continent. Stakeholders of Africa’s travel and tourism sector are appealing for support to the sector ranging between US$ 10 billion and US$ 25 billion from international financial institutions, development partners and international donors. These streams of action are complementary but appear to be flowing in parallel, which raises a number of questions such as: how will the proposed recovery strategies and plans be funded? How could African governments and the aviation ecosystem – airlines, airport authorities, civil aviation authorities and air navigation service providers – access existing COVID-19 response funds? What would it take for African governments to allocate resources from stimulus packages to the aviation industry? This webinar will provide a platform for key actors in COVID-19 recovery efforts to exchange views on ongoing initiatives from financing lens.

Learning Objectives

This webinar is expected to improve knowledge and skills of participants on:

• Ongoing efforts to ensure the survival and recovery of the aviation sector from the COVID-19 crisis;
• Issues and options in addressing the liquidity challenge of the aviation industry in Africa; and
• Roles of different stakeholders in financing COVID-19 recovery plans in the aviation sector in Africa.

Expected Results

Participants will have a better understanding of available financing options for strategies and plans for the survival, recovery and sustainability of Africa’s aviation industry.