adminFaith Mandizha and Clotilder Mwanza
TRANSPORT and Infrastructural Development Minister, Felix Mhona, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) should prioritise the upgrading of communication, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management systems to enhance aviation safety.
Officiating at the fifth CAAZ annual general meeting in Harare yesterday, Minister Mhona assured CAAZ of the Government’s support, built on an unwavering commitment towards the growth and development of the aviation sector.
He said the economic benefits of upgrading CAAZ’s management systems are huge.
“Zimbabwe is prioritising air connectivity to accelerate growth of our business and trade with other states guided by the open skies policy enunciated through the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM).
“Zimbabwe has fully liberalised its air transport market, as an impetus towards Africa’s economic integration and growth agenda,” he said.
The Minister hailed CAAZ for complying with Section 33 (3) of the Public Entities Corporate Governance Act (Chapter 10:31), which prescribes the board of every public entity board to convene an AGM.
“This meeting provides us with a unique platform to review CAAZ’s performance as shareholders and stakeholders of the entity.
“It is inspired by the fact that the hallmark of our governance approach is transparency, efficiency, and integrity.
“Our cardinal focus is to ensure that members of the public unlock value from the services rendered by CAAZ,” he said.
CAAZ board chairperson, Theophilus Dambe, said yesterday’s AGM had been overdue since 2019, because the previous board was suspended.
“One of our setbacks was data gathering as the management team in the finance department was dismissed, including the seniors, and this made it difficult for our new team to gather data, as it was corrupted due to the misconduct,” Dambe said.
Online Reporter