KALONDE NYATI, Lusaka
AFRICAN Development Bank (AfDB) has called for the urgent opening of African skies and boosting of cross-border trade for the continent to realise the goals of integration in line with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
AfDB acting regional integration coordination office director Jean-Guy Afrika said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of the continent, especially the low levels of intra-African trade.
Low numbers of direct flights between countries have continued to hamper regional integration as it is costly and takes a lot of time to fly within the continent.
This is because some countries do not have national carriers while other airlines are struggling.
Currently, Ethiopian Airlines, Kenya Airways and RwandAir are the main airlines with many routes on the continent. South African Airways has suspended domestic and regional flights until June next year while its international flights are only expected to resume in CLICK TO READ MORE