New Leadership Looks To Reinvigorate AfBAA

Under new leadership, the African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) is taking on a busy agenda to expand its reach throughout Africa and more formally structure the organization.

AfBAA confirmed Krimson Aviation founder, chairman, and CEO Dawit Lemma as the chair of the organization and Craig Middleton as vice chair, effective Monday, with the departure of Bestfly co-founder and executive director Alcinda Pereira on May 1. Also, the association outlined plans to renew the association’s mission, vision, and goals as it seeks to work with 40 different civil aviation authorities across the continent and represent a range of aviation operations and diverse membership.

“We know 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 a strategy to resolve them is at the top of our list,” the association said.

Lemma, who has been involved with the association since its inception in 2012, told AIN that his plans aren’t necessarily to reinvent the wheel—several initiatives had previously been in the works—but to reenergize the association. “I'm grateful that the blueprint was already set previously, and now it's a matter of just refining and optimizing,” he said.

These efforts come as the association strives to rebound after Covid. Membership had fallen from roughly 150 before the pandemic to 50 now, as many smaller companies went out of business or struggled financially, Lemma noted.

“We had all the big names, everybody who was anybody. However, there were not many African. That's something I'd like to change. I’d like to see more Africans.” It came down to the fact that it was cost-prohibitive for struggling companies.

“You have to realize that a membership fee can be a person's salary, so you have to have context and structure the membership fees and everything else, such as attending a conference, so that the cost is relevant.”

According to Lemma, one of the key initial steps under the new leadership is creating a governance committee that will be run by a professional secretariat and define essential processes for a streamlined environmental, social, and government policy. He said the organization at one point had a secretariat, but that was something that had fallen by the wayside. 

“We never had a governance committee, I think it's something that you need,” Lemma said. “It's not just about your bylaws and your governing documents, but it's about being responsible socially, environmentally, and having a real purpose—who we are, what we are accomplishing, and why we are accomplishing it. Integrity is one of the key elements of governance.”

The board also plans to reach out to members to establish what they want to focus on and is building on its existing committees, bringing back dormant ones, and creating new ones. These committees will focus on areas such as training, safety management, workforce, operations, and infrastructure improvement.

In addition, AfBAA is planning to step up marketing and communications activity locally, nationally, and internationally. “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,” Middleton said.

AfBAA is introducing North, South, East, and West chapters to enable members to have closer ties with the association as it looks to strengthen communications with its membership and draw in new members. “We are a huge continent, and with these cardinal chapters, we can learn, share, and evolve business aviation tougher as we meet these differing regions’ needs,” he added.

This was a concept previously launched in the 2016 and 2017 timeframe, starting in Ethiopia, which had its own events and membership. But because the association can’t have 54 chapters, Lemma said he believes regional chapters may be more effective.

“Each region has its own nuances. It's difficult to be representative for the whole continent if you don't have a regional context and regional representation,” he said. “You tend to find that issues the Kenyans have with their civil aviation authorities are very similar to the issues that Tanzanians have. There's that cultural context, and I think that will allow us to be relevant in the regions but also help grow our membership.”

Lemma is hoping to capitalize on his own multicultural background to expand the organization globally. Born in Ethiopia, he grew up in Zambia and Geneva, and was educated in the U.S.

A licensed pilot and mechanic with multiple international ratings, he returned to Ethiopia more than a dozen years ago to boost business aviation representation in Africa. “I felt that Africa needed more experience in business aviation,” he said. “Outside of South Africa, Northern Africa, and Nigeria, it’s very unknown. Ethiopia is the prime example with a well-recognized global airline, but with no idea of what business aviation was.”

He had already been affiliated with AfBAA but formally joined upon his return to the continent. As he became more involved, he became responsible for events and membership, and eventually as an honorary member and then a full member of the board. He noted how he enjoyed remaining active in the association rather than just attending meetings.

Lemma also became proactive and reached out to international organizations such as the International Business Aviation Council to provide AfBAA with a greater global voice. This is an area he plans to build on, he told AIN. But importantly, he believes this experience, coupled with his knowledge of Africa, helped prepare him for the role of chairman.

“Africa is not one country. It's 54 countries. It's a lot to manage in terms of different cultures, different languages, so I think that perspective helps. But I also really want AFBAA to engage with the rest of the world…to have a relationship with other associations such as the EBAAs, the NBAAs, and the MEBAAs,” he said.

“I can genuinely say that this is one of the greatest privileges of my entire career because now I'm at the helm of the [AfBAA]. I get to help guide, lead, and actually be part of the story. Moving forward with purpose, integrity, and ambition are things that I want to be able to instill.”