LAA Deepens African Partnerships at Kigali Consultative Meeting
MARGIBI — The Liberia Airport Authority is seeking regional and international support to transform the country’s aviation priorities into investment-ready projects as it participates in a high-level African Union consultative meeting in Kigali, Rwanda.
The four-day meeting, taking place from September 14 to 17, 2026, brings together aviation authorities, regulators, development finance institutions, technical partners and other stakeholders to advance the development of bankable aviation infrastructure projects across Africa.
Liberia’s delegation is led by LAA Managing Director Ernest Hughes and includes Chief Financial Officer Victor Debah.
The Kigali meeting is focused on strengthening cooperation among African aviation institutions, establishing common project-development standards, sharing technical expertise, identifying financing opportunities and building partnerships capable of accelerating aviation infrastructure modernization across the continent.
The discussions are also intended to operationalize outcomes from the African Air Transport Convention and Expo held in Lomé, Togo, where the Liberia Airport Authority was represented by Hughes.
Liberia Presents Five Priority Areas
Liberia is using the consultative forum to seek technical and financial support for strategic projects in five priority areas: Aerodrome maintenance, Air navigation services, Airport operations, Aviation security equipment, and Environmental protection and sustainability.
The projects are expected to support improvements in airport safety, operational efficiency, air navigation capacity, security systems and environmental performance.
The Authority said successful implementation would also help Liberia strengthen compliance with international civil aviation standards and improve the long-term reliability of its aviation infrastructure.
Meeting Targets Common Investment Framework
Over the course of the consultative sessions, participants are expected to focus on five principal objectives: Establishing a common project-development framework; Assessing the readiness of priority aviation projects; Identifying technical and financial support mechanisms; Determining appropriate financing and investment models; and Agreeing on a practical post-Kigali implementation roadmap.
The framework is intended to help African countries move beyond identifying infrastructure needs and develop projects with the technical, financial and institutional foundations required to attract investment.
Through stronger project preparation, participating countries are expected to improve access to development financing and increase their ability to deliver major aviation infrastructure initiatives.
Liberia Links Participation to SAATM
Liberia’s participation reflects the government’s stated commitment to regional aviation integration and the objectives of the Single African Air Transport Market.
SAATM seeks to improve air connectivity among African countries, facilitate trade and tourism, reduce barriers to air transport and support broader economic growth.
The Liberia Airport Authority said stronger regional partnerships would help align the country’s aviation priorities with continental development initiatives while creating opportunities to work with technical experts, development institutions and potential financiers.
The Authority also said the Kigali engagement would help position Liberia to benefit from collective African action in aviation infrastructure development.
RFIR Joins Liberian Delegation
The Liberian delegation is being complemented by the participation of the Roberts Flight Information Region.
The RFIR is represented by its Deputy Secretary General for Administrative Affairs, highlighting what officials described as a coordinated national approach to aviation infrastructure development.
The participation of both the LAA and RFIR is expected to strengthen institutional collaboration and ensure that airport development priorities are considered alongside air navigation and flight-information requirements.
Focus on Long-Term Aviation Growth
The African Union and its continental aviation partners are leading the Kigali consultative process.
The meeting is expected to produce a clearer roadmap for developing, financing and implementing aviation projects capable of supporting Africa’s growing air transport needs.
For Liberia, the engagement provides an opportunity to present its infrastructure priorities within a broader regional framework and pursue partnerships that could help address longstanding financing and technical challenges.
The Liberia Airport Authority said it remains committed to working with regional and international partners to convert the country’s aviation priorities into bankable projects capable of attracting sustainable investment.
The Authority said the ultimate goal is to deliver long-term benefits for Liberia and the wider West African sub-region through safer airports, stronger air navigation services, improved operational performance and more sustainable aviation infrastructure.
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