Liberia takes over the Chairmanship of the Technical Committee of the Roberts Flight Information Region (RFIR)

The Director-General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority (LCAA), Mr. Julius D. Dennis, took over the rotating Chairmanship of the sub-regional body (RFIR) Technical Committee in Conakry, Guinea, on May 6, 2024.

The technical committee consists of the Director-General of Civil Aviation from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, and the chairmanship is rotated yearly. The technical committee advises the Ministerial council on technical matters related to the RFIR.

In his statement, DG Dennis conveyed greetings from President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, the government, and people of Liberia.

He stated that Liberia has gone through a transition with the election and inauguration of a new government under President Joseph N. Boakai’s leadership.

The new dispensation brings a new perspective and a different approach to governance aimed at effecting a positive change and betterment in the lives of the Liberian people through the President’s ARREST agenda.

DG Dennis congratulated the newly installed leadership of the RFIR. He emphasized that Liberia intends to elevate the dismal score highlighted in the Liberian aviation sector’s International Civil Aviation Organization/Universal Safety Oversight Audit Program – Continuous Monitoring Audit (ICAO/USOAP-CMA) results.

The result highlighted two Significant Safety Concerns (SSC) that must be urgently addressed. In this regard, the RFIR remains a critical partner in this endeavor. DG Dennis hopes that with Liberia holding the chairmanship of the technical committee, no stone will be left unturned to seek collaboration and support for the upliftment of the aviation sector.

DG Dennis called for renewed collaboration amongst member states to source training opportunities and urged member states to consider creating regional training facilities. He stressed the need for concerted efforts to begin the rollout and implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM)

At the close of the meeting, the Ministerial Council endorsed the following resolutions of the Technical Committee

1. The Technical Committee accepts and endorses the 2022 Audit Report and congratulates the Secretariat for the outstanding work.

2. The Technical Committee endorses the 2023 Activities Report as was presented by the Secretariat.

3. The Technical Committee endorses the 2024 Budget as was presented by the Secretariat.

4. The Technical Committee endorses the Roberts FIR Policy on End of Tenure Notification and Handing/Taking Over Proceduree

5. The Technical Committee mandates the Secretariat to study the possibility of establishing a training center in the Roberts FIR region and report to the Technical Committee in its next ordinary meeting.

6. The Technical Committee mandates the Secretariat to exploit possible means of taking over the Roberts FIR oceanic portion of the airspace, which ASECNA is currently managing.

The Roberts Flight Information Region (RFIR) was established on January 17, 1975, when Guinea Conakry, Liberia, and Sierra Leone set up an aeronautical cooperative venture to provide air navigation services for en-route flights (above 3,000 feet AGL) in their combined airspace.