AFRAA and the 4 Founding African MROs Launch Landmark African MRO Conference

Hosted by Ethiopian Airlines from 29 to 31 March 2026 at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, and held under the patronage of the Government of Ethiopia, the conference marks a major milestone in Africa’s journey towards building a resilient, competitive, and sustainable aviation maintenance ecosystem.

Held under the theme “Building Africa’s Sustainable MRO Ecosystem,” the event gathered over 450 registered high-level delegates from more than 50 countries, including airline executives, MRO leaders, OEMs, regulators, and technology providers, highlighting the increasing urgency and opportunity to transform Africa’s aviation maintenance landscape.

A Strategic Imperative for African Aviation
Despite the rapid growth in air transport across the continent, a significant share of aircraft maintenance for African airlines is performed outside Africa, resulting in billions of dollars in annual capital outflows, higher operational costs, and longer aircraft downtime.
The African MRO Conference aims to reverse this trend by creating a dedicated platform to:

• Strengthen regional MRO capacity and capabilities
• Enhance supply chain resilience and efficiency
• Develop Africa’s aviation technical workforce
• Accelerate the adoption of digital and predictive maintenance technologies
• Foster intra-African collaboration and partnerships

Speaking at the opening ceremony, AFRAA Secretary General Mr. Abderahmane Berthé emphasized: “Africa’s aviation future depends not only on expanding fleets and networks, but on building strong technical foundations. Developing a self-sufficient MRO ecosystem is essential to reducing costs, improving reliability, and retaining value within the continent.”

Commenting on the conference, Ethiopian Transport and Logistics State Minister, His Excellency Mr. Dhenge Boru said, “The Transport and Logistics Minister of Ethiopia is a strong advocate of such initiatives that bring together aviation professionals as we believe it is key to unlock our combined expertise and accelerate our success. By coming up together as one to this event, we maintain the collaborative effort to a speedy outcome for the betterment of the aviation sector in our continent and beyond.”

Ethiopian Airlines Group CEO Mr. Mesfin Tasew on his part said, “This conference holds great significance as it brings together Africa’s aviation leaders, regulators, manufacturers, and innovators under one roof. It provides a unique platform to transform our collective vision into tangible action. By working together, we are fostering collaboration to build a resilient and competitive African MRO network.”

Mr. Moosa Desai, Chairperson of the AFRAA MRO Steering Committee and Ag.CEO – South African Airways Technical stated: “This AFRAA-led MRO initiative seeks to strengthen and unify Africa’s MRO sector. By promoting collaboration, standardising procedures, and sharing expertise and capabilities across the continent, it lays a foundation for sustainable growth and enhances the global competitiveness of African MROs. This initiative is vital for skills development, supplier alignment, and long-term resilience in Africa’s aviation maintenance industry. Since SteerCo’s inception, engagement has increased, thereby expanding these efforts as we progress.”

From Dialogue to Deal-Making: The AFRAA B2B Marketplace
A central feature of the conference is the AFRAA MRO Marketplace, a structured B2B platform designed to translate discussions into concrete business results. Through pre-arranged one-on-one meetings, African airlines, MROs, and procurement teams are engaging directly with OEMs, global service providers, and technology companies to:

• Negotiate maintenance contracts
• Explore innovative technical solutions
• Optimize supply chain strategies
• Build long-term strategic partnerships

This results-driven approach positions the conference as more than a knowledge-sharing forum, but as a catalyst for real commercial and operational impact across Africa’s aviation value chain.
Addressing Africa’s MRO Challenges and Opportunities

Across plenary sessions, leadership panels, and technical masterclasses, delegates will address the most pressing issues shaping the sector, including:

• Supply chain constraints affecting aircraft availability and turnaround times
• High dependence on off-continent maintenance services
• Skills shortages and workforce retention challenges
• Regulatory fragmentation limiting cross-border MRO operations
• Digital transformation, including AI, big data, and predictive maintenance
• Sustainability and green maintenance practices within the MRO value chain

The conference also highlights the immense opportunity for Africa to:

• Create thousands of skilled technical jobs
• Retain billions of dollars within African economies
• Strengthen the aviation value chain
• Improve airline competitiveness and connectivity

A Call to Collaborate
The success of Africa’s MRO ecosystem will be driven by three critical pillars:

• Collaboration across airlines, MROs, OEMs, and regulators
• Technical talent development through training and skills investment
• Digital transformation to improve efficiency, reliability, and cost management

AFRAA reaffirmed its commitment to working with stakeholders across the aviation ecosystem to advance these priorities and unlock the full potential of Africa’s aviation sector.