By Lansana Fofanah.
The Transport Ministers of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia have signed the revised Aeronautical Accord of the Roberts Flight Information Region aiming to improve on the safety of aerospace within the region.
The Robert Flight Information Region (FIR) is a tripartite organization that was established by the three Presidents of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia in 1975 for the control and safety of air navigation in the combined upper airspace of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone with a total size of 770.777km.
Chairing the occasion at the Raddisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel at Aberdeen in Freetown, on the 1st April 2021, the outgoing Chairman of the Ministers Council, Kabineh Kallon, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Transport and Aviation, thanked the Secretary-General and deputies of the Robert FRI for administering the mandates of the organization under the most difficult time due to the outbreak of Coronavirus.
Mr. Kallon said that details in the revised agreement include an increase in the fees for flights that are using their aerospace, and also the updating of their facilities. He commended the various Director-Generals of the aviation industry in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone for developing a concise document that addresses the collective challenges they face in the aviation industry.
He admonished members from Guinea and Liberia to honor their dues as they cannot survive without money.
The Minister of Transport of the Republic of Guinea, Mohamed Keita, said that Robert FRI, is an organization that was passed on to them by their ancestors from the various countries in 1975 and that Guinea is committed to fulfilling its own part of every agreement.
He noted that despite the impact of the Coronavirus outbreak and low turnout in the aviation industry, their organization was able to operate under circumstances.
He commended the Director Generals for putting together a precise document that is based on a legal framework for the improvement of a suitable environment for air navigation.
The Minister commended the people of Sierra Leone for the warm welcome accorded them since their arrival in Freetown.
Hon. Samuel A. Wlue, Minister of Transport and Aviation of Liberia, hailed the agreement as another milestone in their determination to make the aviation industry safe in the region.
Giving the need for the agreement, the Director-General of the Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Industry, Moses Tiffa Baio said that, both countries rely on obsolete instruments to control their aerospace and with improvement in technology, there is every need for them to update the Robert Flight Information Region with the latest equipment.
Mr. Baio said that now that the revised agreement has been signed by ministers from all three countries, they will now focus on the full implementation of their plans.
The program was climaxed by observing a handing over ceremony of the Chairmanship position from Sierra Leone to Guinea.
