The African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) has elected a Nigerian, Ms. Adefunke Adeyemi as the new Secretary General of the continental aviation regulatory body.
Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation, James Odaudu disclosed this.
He said the continental body was excited to have the astute aviation professional serve in the strategic position.
In a statement, Odaudu said: “The Bureau and the Secretariat of AFCAC have the honour to inform AFCAC member states, international organizations, states partners and all aviation and affiliated stakeholders that Ms. Adefunke Adeyemi has been elected the new Secretary General of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC).”
Ms. Adeyemi’s election as the new Secretary General of AFCAC was announced at the 34th AFCAC Plenary in Dakar, Senegal.
The new AFCAC Secretary General takes over from the former Secretary General, Mr. Tefera Mekonnen whose tenure ended in January 2022, following which Ms. Angeline Simana steered AFCAC as Interim Secretary General.
Adeyemi remarked shortly after her election that her objective is to build on the progress already made by previous Secretaries General and teams of AFCAC to see a new dawn for change through positive action for AFCAC and African aviation.
“The vision for African aviation is to enable a fully connected, prosperous and united Africa. We have made so much progress and we must stay the course and build on current momentum to strengthen existing partnerships and create new mutually beneficial relationships. We are stronger together and I am fully committed to collaboration, multilateralism and fostering cooperation with all States, partners and relevant stakeholders to move African aviation forward.”
With an international career spanning over 20 years, Adefunke began her career as a practicing lawyer in Nigeria and then as Company Secretary and General Counsel to Virgin Nigeria Airways before joining the International Air Transport Association (IATA) where she has worked in different roles over the last 12 years.