(Posted 19th May 2025)
New AfBAA leadership shares plans to revitalize African Business Aviation organization at EBACE 2025.
Following hard on the heels of the confirmation of the new African Business Aviation Association, AfBAA leadership team, which confirmed Dawit Lemma as Chairperson and Craig Middleton as Vice Chair, the executives have confirmed plans to renew AfBAA’s mission, vision and goals. To meet the dynamic needs of an organization that represents some 40 different civil aviation authorities across the continent, a broad range of aviation operations, and a diverse membership, Lemma and Middleton will build on key pillars to generate momentum, raise visibility, and demonstrate credibility across the continent and internationally.
The priorities include listening to and advocating for members on issues identified as the most pressing to advance African business aviation. “We know that our members rely on us to lobby on their behalf, identify common issues that need resolving, and act as a single voice with regulators, industry, and international organizations, so identifying the main concerns and creating strategy to resolve them is top of our list,” explains Lemma confirming the board will be reaching out to members to establish what they want the organization to focus on.
To support this activity, Lemma also plans to introduce a new governance committee run by a professional secretariat to define essential processes for streamlined environmental, social, and governance ESG policy. Strengthened communications between the organization and its members is also a priority to stimulate interaction and generate new memberships. “Africa is unique in that many of our aircraft operators fall into the General Aviation segment, which is often ignored, yet these aircraft represent the heart and soul of business aviation across the continent, as farmers, miners, remote construction workers, medevac and other industries frequently use business aviation services. We want to encourage them to join the association so we can help support their diverse needs,” explains Lemma about the new members he’s looking to attract. Advanced air mobility, drone, and remotely piloted aerial vehicle professionals will also be welcomed as Africa becomes a test-bed for many of these next-gen aviation sectors.
This will be underpinned by more active marketing and communications activity locally, nationally, and internationally to highlight AfBAA activity, successes, and news. “AfBAA has been relatively quiet on this front, and we want to build momentum again by raising the profile, adding new AfBAA events, and showcasing the benefits of doing business with African aviation companies,” says Middleton. The introduction of North, South, East, and West AfBAA chapters will make taking advantage of the association benefits easier. “We are a huge continent, and with these cardinal chapters, we can learn, share, and evolve business aviation together as we meet these differing regions’ needs,” adds Middleton.
Committees that focus on training, safety management, and infrastructure improvement, as well as identifying ways of attracting new human resources to the industry, all of which are vital to the success of the sector, will also be on the agenda.
Lemma and Middleton have been involved with AfBAA since its inception in 2012 and have had significant experience within the organization serving on various committees and are familiar with its members and their needs. This is complemented by extensive experience running business aviation operations across the continent and internationally, a powerful combination that brings valuable experience, knowledge, and an impressive network to the leadership roles.
“We have identified these priorities as critical for the association’s future growth and are looking forward to actioning them with our board. We are both committed to supporting AfBAA’s guiding principle of presenting a united voice of African business aviation within the continent and beyond to enhance the sector potential, highlight the opportunities, and raise industry standards for operations across the continent,” concludes Lemma.
Following an association voting protocol, Lemma and Middleton formally took up their posts today, 19th of May 2025. Lemma and Middleton will be attending EBACE 2025 and invite interested companies to reach out to learn more about AfBAA. Dawit Lemma can be reached on WhatsApp at +251 911 255 441 and Craig Middleton at craig@gasaviation.com
