CAA International (CAAi), the technical cooperation arm of the UK Civil Aviation Authority (UK CAA), is to assist the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) to strengthen its regulatory oversight capability.
Financed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation’s (ICAO) SAFE Fund, CAAi will aim to help the SLCAA resolve its safety-related deficiencies in several target areas including, air navigation services, aerodromes and ground aids. The project will also optimise the organisational design of SLCAA to improve its oversight effectiveness.
In a statement, Mattijs Smith, head of international development for CAAi said: “It is extremely positive that SLCAA, with the support of ICAO, are investing in safety oversight for Sierra Leone. Aviation is an important factor in economic development. Working together, we can build a stronger regulatory framework that will facilitate the projected growth of air traffic in the years to come for Sierra Leone.”
The first phase of this project will establish an ICAO compliant safety oversight system. Active regulators from the UK CAA will work with their Sierra Leone counterparts to update the ICAO audit corrective action plan.
Experts will then review the legal and regulatory frameworks, establish a training framework for inspectorate staff, create an autonomous organisational structure and design new safety oversight procedures and technical, guidance materials for certification, licensing and regulator surveillance activities.
The second phase of the programme will focus on implementation and updating the ICAO CMA Online Framework.
The project is expected to last 18 weeks.