5th December, 2020
SLCAA Conference Hall, Freetown

Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) has concluded a five-day Technical Assistance Mission on Aviation Security and Facilitation to The Gambia Civil Aviation Authority.

The objective of the mission was to provide support to the Gambia CAA in the areas of Aviation Security and Facilitation with special reference to Critical Element Five (CE5) Technical Guidance Materials ahead of their planned offsite Universal Security Audit in January 2021

The Gambia CAA believed that their interaction with the SLCAA they would learn from their success stories in the last Aviation Security Audit in 2019 which will help them remedy the gaps identified in the Gambia Civil Aviation Authority’s 2018 Security Audit Report which, they believe, would give them a boost in preparing for ICAO Aviation Security Audit next year.

It could also be recalled that the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in 2019, conducted the Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP) to assess the level of security compliance in which Sierra Leone scored 71.6%.

Presenting the post-activity debriefing to the SLCAA, the Aviation Security Facilitation Manager of the Gambia CAA, Alagie Jeng expressed that meeting the SLCAA Aviation Security experts was very fruitful, rewarding, and fulfilling. While expressing the need for close collaboration, he thanked the SLCAA for the time, corporation, and openness, especially with the information that they were looking for.

“We have been able to develop nine documents with the SLCAA AVSEC Team which will help us in the preparation of our ICAO Audit in January 2021. Going forward, we think we should be strengthening the relationship between the two CAAs by encouraging such mission; this will help the Region in having a common approach with regards Aviation Security and Facilitation in the industry,” he said.

The Director-General of SLCAA, Moses Tiffa Baio, in his statement, expressed that he was pleased to hear the representative from The Gambian CAA had very good interactive sessions with the SLCAA AVSEC team.

“This is the spirit of the ‘No Country Left Behind’ initiative that ICAO is trying to push forward both at the regional level and state level, they are encouraging member state to have this kind of bilateral relationship where we can tap into the expertise of other member states,” DG said.

DG Baio furthered that the Gambia and Sierra Leone have a close bilateral relationship. He maintained that SLCAA is here today because of the many assistance rendered by a Gambian, International Civil Servant Mr. Mam Sait Jallow, the former Regional Director of ICAO Western and Central Africa. His assistance to the SLCAA had always been commendable.

DG Baio assured the representative from The Gambian CAA that the SLCAA would continue to give the necessary support where needed.

CREDIT: SLCAA COMMUNICATIONS