AfBAA celebrates five years with launch of AfBAC EXPO and Access Africa

Above: (left to right)  Tarek Ragheb, Founding Chairman and Rady Fahmy CEO have built membership to 115 during the first five years.

To celebrate the successful establishment of the organisation, AfBAA will be launching AfBAC EXPO, Africa’s first dedicated Business Aviation Conference, Exhibition and Static Display, at the African Pavilion, during this year’s EBACE.

AfBAC EXPO will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 29 November until 1 December, 2017 and will be of interest to any international professional or business operating, or planning to operate in Africa.

The conference objective is to inspire and inform through a variety of mediums including authoritative presentations from industry leaders, dynamic panel discussions from experts in their field, video presentations from international companies, and a selection of workshops that will discuss current topics affecting business aviation development in Africa. Training sessions on safety and regulation will run in parallel, as will an afternoon session dedicated to the booming area of remotely piloted aerial systems, RPAS. Building on the success of the AfBAC 2016 conference, content will also be delivered by professionals from outside the aviation sector who will discuss alternative business concepts, and their potential application within the aviation arena.

Once again networking and participation will be encouraged with a programme of social events taking centre stage, whilst during the conference interactive polling and digital questioning will provide delegates with the opportunity to share their feedback in real time.
“We have achieved much in five years, but we know there is still much to do as our journey has only really just begun,” said Tarek Ragheb, Founding Chairman of AfBAA. “We recognise that aviation in Africa doesn’t work in global or commercial isolation, which is why we are launching AfBAC EXPO at EBACE. We want to bring together international professionals to share experience and knowledge in a dedicated environment. With Europe’s strong connections to the continent, we’re hoping to garner a lot of interest during EBACE,” he added.

AFBAC EXPO will also incorporate an exhibition area for companies wishing to showcase the latest innovations, products and services, as well as a static display which is expected to include around 15 aircraft from international OEMS and local operators. Site visits to FBOs and operators at Lanseria Airport will be part of the schedule. It is anticipated that the event will welcome visitors representing the full spectrum of the business aviation sector.

First Access Africa to take place at EBACE
Access Africa, a new international initiative from AfBAA, is also launching at EBACE. The forum has been created to facilitate better understanding of what is required to undertake business within the African business aviation sector. The plan is for the new event to be held during international aviation conferences around the globe. During the 90-minute session, attendees will be transported to Africa, through a trio of concise presentations from leading African business aviation experts, who will outline local issues, share anecdotal experiences, detail what works, and importantly what does not; as well as highlight the points to consider when taking the first steps into Africa

At EBACE these will be Segun Demuren from Nigeria’s EAN Aviation, Nuno Pereira from Angola’s Bestfly and Gavin Kiggen of ExecuJet South Africa. The informal nature of the forum is designed to stimulate frank discussion, open questioning and interaction that will address key concerns from the audience.

“One of AfBAA’s guiding principles is to raise awareness of the continent’s potential and that is what drives us to create these types of events. We are aware that many European companies are interested in developing African business but don’t necessarily have the information they need to hand. Access Africa is about providing tangible, practical information to support these professionals’ endeavours,” says Rady Fahmy, CEO of AfBAA. Access Africa is the second international event organised by AfBAA, the first being the annual African Pavilion at EBACE, and represents the sixth event in the growing portfolio of AfBAA meetings.

Access Africa will take place on Monday 22nd May in Conference Room L of PalExpo, Geneva.  There are limited places available for the free event so please email info@afbaa.org for more information or to register your interest.