DECEMBER 03, 2024

By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria, Alhassan Ndagi, has urged Nigerian nurses to prioritize serving their country, emphasizing that Nigeria needs their services more than Europe or America.

He made this statement during the induction of 37 pioneer Nursing students from Fountain University, Osogbo, into the profession. Represented by Stella Godswill, Ndagi encouraged the newly inducted nurses to stay committed to their profession despite the difficult economic situation in the country.

“While some of you may seek opportunities to travel abroad, remember that a first degree is just the beginning of this fulfilling career. Though economic challenges may exist, Nigeria needs you more than Western countries,” Ndagi said.

He also highlighted the importance of adapting to technological advancements in healthcare, urging nurses to not only learn how to use new technologies but also understand when and where to apply them for optimal patient care.

Earlier, Fountain University Vice-Chancellor, Professor Ramota Karim, urged the newly inducted nurses to focus on contributing to their country’s healthcare system rather than seeking opportunities abroad.

“As ambassadors of this institution, you carry the responsibility to make impactful contributions to society. While opportunities abroad may be tempting, I urge you to prioritize serving your nation. Nigeria needs your skills, dedication, and innovation to strengthen its healthcare system,” she said.

DECEMBER 03, 2024

By Williams Anuku

Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa, has announced a new visa policy for Nigerians, saying investors and tourists could apply for a visa without submitting passport.

The South African President revealed this on Tuesday at the opening of the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town, which President Bola Tinubu attended.

According to him, South Africa has simplified its visa processes to facilitate travel for Nigerian business people and tourists, with measures such as five-year multiple entry visas.

He noted that the gesture was to create a favourable environment, especially to simplify visa process for Nigerian business people to travel to South Africa.

“Qualifying Nigerian business people can be granted a five-year multiple entry visa,” he said.

He also pledged South Africa’s commitment to removing constraints on greater investment and addressing the challenges faced by companies in both countries.

“As we mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, we see a bright future for our relationship. Our strong bonds of friendship provide a firm foundation for more meaningful economic cooperation.

“Nigeria is host to a number of South African companies. South Africa has always been open to Nigerian business, reflected in the number of investments and operations established in this country.

“But there is much more we need to do. We need to remove the remaining constraints to greater investment, just as we need to address some of the challenges that companies have experienced.

Ramaphosa also acknowledged the Nigerian government’s reforms to further strengthen and foster a business environment that offers assurances to investors, including from South Africa.

He said his administration will continue with its efforts to improve the ease of doing business in South Africa. We want to enable investors to operate, trade and pursue opportunities in various sectors.

“We look forward to seeing more Nigerian companies investing in South Africa,” he said.

The South African leader said Africa’s development and the challenges facing countries of the Global South would be firmly placed on the G20 agenda.

“It will be the first time the G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held on African soil. We will seek to galvanise support for the AU’s Agenda 2063 as we pursue an inclusive global agenda.

“For South Africa, it is our view that in shaping global discourse, programs should be tailored to ensure that in our societies, no one is left behind,” he said.

DECEMBER 04, 2024

By Baba Martins

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that tourists from Nigeria can now apply for visas without submitting their passports.

The president also disclosed that Nigerian businessmen and tourists who qualified for the process can be “granted a five-year multiple entry visa.”

Ramaphosa spoke on Tuesday at the opening of the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town, South Africa.

The South African leader said his country has simplified its visa processes to facilitate travel for Nigerian business people and tourists, with measures such as five-year multiple entry visas.

He said, “Our efforts to create a favourable environment include our simplified visa process for Nigerian business people to travel to South Africa. Qualifying Nigerian business people can be granted a five-year multiple entry visa,” he said.

He also pledged South Africa’s commitment to removing constraints on greater investment and addressing the challenges faced by companies in both countries.

Ramaphosa said, “Nigeria is host to several South African companies. South Africa has always been open to Nigerian business, reflected in the number of investments and operations established in this country.

“But there is much more we need to do. We need to remove the remaining constraints to greater investment, just as we need to address some of the challenges that companies have experienced.

Nigeria, S/Africa to sign agreement on early warning signs

The two countries have agreed to finalise the five-year-old Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Early Warning Mechanism, which monitors threats of violence, acts of criminality, and reprisals involving nationals of both countries.

The decision was revealed on Tuesday in a communiqué released at the end of the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town.

In the wake of the attacks on Nigerians in South Africa, the two countries agreed to establish an Early Warning Mechanism to curb future attacks.

The joint communique, read by South Africa’s Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Ronald Lamola, said the two leaders underscored the urgent need to finalise the MoU.

“To this end, it was agreed that the MoU will be signed no later than March 2025, during the visit of the South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation to Nigeria for political consultations,” Lamola said.

On the escalating crisis in the Middle East, the two countries adopted a joint position calling for an immediate ceasefire and a return to diplomacy.

They emphasised the importance of upholding international humanitarian law, ensuring the protection of civilians, and promoting sustainable peace in the region.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu has also called for a strategic partnership between Nigeria and South Africa towards economic integration and shared prosperity for the growth of the African continent.

DECEMBER 04, 2024

By Abdullateef Aliyu

The Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Mrs. Olubunmi Kuku, has convened a crucial meeting with the heads of all security agencies at Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA) in Lagos, warning the officials to stop the habit of soliciting for kickbacks and tips from passengers.

She said airport is not a place to make money, noting that any official caught soliciting for bribe would face stiff penalty.

The meeting was convened on Tuesday to tackle the persistent problems of touting and harassment of passengers at screening points.

At the meeting, Mrs Kuku launched “Operation AirClean,” making it clear that she has the full backing of the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), to sanitise the airport environment

Kuku stated that she had received numerous complaints from the Presidency and the minister over activities of some security agencies operating at the airport.

Daily Trust reports that there are many security and paramilitary agencies operating at the airport.

They include the Nigeria Immigration Services (NIS), the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in addition to the Police, DSS, Army, Civil Defence, among others.

Over time there have been complaints from foreigners and Nigerians arriving at the MMIA, the busiest airport, and others over harassment and demand for kickbacks.

But the FAAN MD at the meeting insisted that the complaints were becoming embarrassing, warning officials involved to stop forthwith.

She emphasised the urgency to clean up airport terminals and eliminate unpatriotic practices among officers, saying it would no longer be business as usual.

She ordered the immediate dismantling of search tables at screening points and mandated that technology be deployed to reduce manual searches and improve interactions with passengers.

According to her, the activities of some of the officers could discourage investment into the country as the MMIA for instance remains the first port of call for visitors in Nigeria.

She said, “Investors are complaining. Lagos Airport, that’s the first thing they see. You get down from the plane you see Welcome to Nigeria.

“The number of messages I receive from passengers, from the Honourable Minister and from the Presidency is insane especially in Lagos Airport.

“But I want to focus on AVSEC (Aviation Security). You represent an agency and an organisation. The way you engage, ‘Aunty wetin you bring come for us, Aunty bye bye, Aunty open your bag.’

“I’ve gotten some feedback from AVSEC officers saying that they are not collecting pensions, so this is the way for them to generate or earn their pension. This has to stop. I have a very clear directive.

“If your organisation is found wanting it means that you as a leader has failed and this better stop. I also hear that agencies are giving returns to their bosses. So let’s have a frank conversation here.

“The airport is no longer a place to come and make money. So if anybody in your organisation is asking you to keep returns, I am saying the same thing to AVSEC and to all of the agencies here, you better tell them you don’t want to come here because the penalties are going to be very stiff.”

She stated that collaboration and intelligence sharing among agencies were essential for enhancing service delivery.

The heads of the security agencies committed to heightened oversight of their officers, ensuring accountability on duty. It was also resolved that secure and designated area will be provided as a waiting area for visitors while mobile courts will be set up for expedited persecution of offenders.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Immigration Services, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Nigerian Quarantine Services, Nigerian Police Force, Directorate of Security Services, Nigerian Customs Services, and Aviation Security Services.

DECEMBER 04, 2024

By Olasunkanmi Akinlotan

About 2,000 air passengers lost 19,274 pieces of luggage between January and June this year, the Federal Government has revealed.

Data obtained from the half-year report of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, an agency of the Federal Government that regulates civil aviation, further indicated that 19,250 passengers were delayed for long hours during the review period.

Many air passengers in Nigeria face challenges including the loss of personal belongings and ongoing frustrations with the poor experiences they encounter at various airports.

Passengers experience delayed or abrupt cancellations of scheduled flights at various airports severally.

NCAA data showed that 35,398 flights operated by 13 local carriers experienced 16,945 delays, while 26 international airlines had 2,305 flight delays out of the 7,144 flights operated within the same period.

The 13 domestic carriers cancelled 696 flights within the period, representing two per cent of the total 35,398 flights operated by the airlines.

The data indicated that 48 per cent of total local flights were delayed by domestic operators with Dana Air getting the highest number of delays. It recorded 69 per cent flight delays, as the airline delayed 999 flights out of a total of 1,446.

Aero Contractor had 37 per cent delays with 1,992 operations. Arik Air had 59 per cent delays, indicating 1,378 delays out of its 2,331 flights operated within the period.

The report showed that Overland Airways, Air Peace, Max Air, Ibom Air, United Nigeria Airlines, Green Africa Airways, ValueJe, Rajo Air, and NG Eagles also recorded flight delays.

Air Peace, the biggest Nigerian airline, had 11,111 flights with 5,350 of the flights delayed, representing 48 per cent. The airline’s performance was better than Max Air but worse than Overland Airways.

The half-year report showed that  Azman, which only flew 145 times, had 76 delays, indicating 52 per cent flight delays within the period.

The document showed that Aero Contractors had 33 cancelled flights, which was two per cent of its total flights; Arik Air had 32 cancelled flights, representing one per cent of its total operations.

Overland Airways had 57 cancelled flights, showing five per cent of its total flights; Air Peace had 294 cancelled flights, which was three per cent of its total flights; Max Air had 23 flight cancellations, representing one per cent of its total flights, among others.

On the international routes, the airlines operated 7,144 flights, with 2, 305 delays and 69 cancellations to and from Nigeria.

Eight international carriers delayed 40 per cent and above of their flight abd they include Delta Airlines, Cronos, Turkish Airlines, South African Airway, Air Peace, British Airways, Kenya Airways, and Air Cote d’Ivoire.

The United States carrier, Delta Airlines topped the list of airlines with the most flight delays among the international carriers, with 63 per cent of its flights delayed either inward or outward of Nigeria.

During the first six-month period, Delta flew 180 times but had 113 delays and outrightly cancelled flights seven times.

Cronos was trailing Delta with 60 per cent of flight delays out of its 25 flights with 15 delays, but zero cancellations.

Turkish Airlines operated 284 flights but had 148 delays, maintaining a third position on the list having delayed 52 per cent of its total flights. The airline also had five cancelled flights, showing two per cent of its total operations.

South African Airways operated 76 flights, 36 were delayed, showing 47 per cent of its total operations.

Air Peace with 888 flights had 409 delays, which was 46 per cent of its total operations. The airline also had six flight cancellations, showing one per cent of its total flights within the period.

British Airways operated 354 flights in and out of Nigeria in the first six months of 2024 and recorded 141 delays, representing 40 per cent of its total operations. It also cancelled one per cent of its total flights within the period.

Kenya Airways and Air Cote d’Ivoire contributed 45 and 40 per cent to the menace of flight delays during the period.

Kenya Airways with 146 flights, had 85 delays and cancelled two per cent of its flights. Air Cote d’Ivoire had 355 flights and 141 delays, indicating 40 per cent of the total delays and eight cancelled flights or two per cent.

Passengers react

Adeola Oluremi, a UK outbound passenger told our correspondent on Monday that she had lost valuables “without any clear explanation.”

She said, “The day I was coming back from the US and I found out that my bag could not be found, I almost ran mad, I cried profusely. To get back what I lost, it cost me thousands of dollars.”

A staff of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria who spoke in confidence due to the lack of authorisation to speak on the matter said issues of delay and loss of passengers’ belongings by airlines had become rampant at the Lagos airport.

The civil aviation law, Part 19 of the NCAA regulations states that in the case of damages or loss of baggage, the affected passenger on the international route should be compensated with $170 while N10,000 is applicable to passengers of the same fate on the domestic routes.

On delayed or cancelled flights for domestic flights, the Act also stated, “For domestic flights, when an operating air carrier reasonably expects a flight to be delayed beyond its scheduled time of departure, it shall provide the passengers with a reason(s) for the delay within 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time and the assistance specified below:

“After two hours, refreshments as specified in section 19.10.1.1(a) and telephone calls, SMS, and E-mails as specified in section 19.10.1.2; Beyond three hours, reimbursement as specified in sub-section 19.9.1.1(a); And re-routing as specified in subsection 19.9.1.1(b)(c);

“At a time beyond 10 pm till 4 am, or at a time when the airport is closed at the point of departure or final destination, hotel accommodation and transport should be provided.”

For international flights, the same part of the law reads, “When an operating air carrier reasonably expects a flight to be delayed beyond its scheduled time of departure, it shall provide to the passengers the assistance specified below: (a) between two and four hours compensation as specified in sections 19.8.1.1(b) and telephone calls, SMS, e-mails as specified in 19.10.1.2; more than four hours, meal as specified in 19.10.1.1(b) and telephone calls, SMS, e-mails as specified in 19.10.1.2; and

“When the reasonably expected time of departure is at least six hours after the time of departure previously announced, the hotel accommodation assistance as specified in sections 19.10.1.1(c) and transport assistance as specified in 19.10.1.1(d). 19.6.2.2. In any event, the assistance shall be provided within the time limits set out in these regulations.”

DECEMBER 04, 2024

By Jimisayo Opanuga

South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that tourists from Nigeria can now apply for a visa without submitting a passport.

Ramaphosa spoke on Tuesday at the opening of the 11th session of the Nigeria-South Africa Bi-National Commission (BNC) in Cape Town, attended by President Bola Tinubu.

Tinubu’s spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday.

He said South Africa has simplified its visa processes to facilitate travel for Nigerian business people and tourists, with measures such as five-year multiple entry visas.

“Our efforts to create a favourable environment include our simplified visa process for Nigerian business people to travel to South Africa. Qualifying Nigerian business people can be granted a five-year multiple entry visa,” he said.

He also pledged South Africa’s commitment to removing constraints on greater investment and addressing the challenges faced by companies in both countries.

“As we mark 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, we see a bright future for our relationship. Our strong bonds of friendship provide a firm foundation for more meaningful economic cooperation,” Ramaphosa said.

“Nigeria is host to a number of South African companies. South Africa has always been open to Nigerian business, reflected in the number of investments and operations established in this country.

“But there is much more we need to do. We need to remove the remaining constraints to greater investment, just as we need to address some of the challenges that companies have experienced.”

Ramaphosa acknowledged the Nigerian government’s reforms to strengthen and foster a business environment that offers assurances to investors, including from South Africa.

“Our government continues with its efforts to improve the ease of doing business in South Africa. We want to enable investors to operate, trade and pursue opportunities in various sectors,” he said.

“We look forward to seeing more Nigerian companies investing in South Africa.”

The South African leader said Africa’s development and the challenges facing countries of the Global South would be firmly placed on the G20 agenda.

“It will be the first time the G20 Leaders’ Summit will be held on African soil. We will seek to galvanise support for the AU’s Agenda 2063 as we pursue an inclusive global agenda,” he said.

“For South Africa, it is our view that in shaping global discourse, programs should be tailored to ensure that in our societies, no one is left behind.”

DECEMBER 06, 2024

South Africa has relaxed visa rules for Nigeria to facilitate travel for business people and tourists.

Among the visa reforms, Cyril Ramaphosa, South African president, said that Nigerian tourists can now apply to visit South Africa without submitting their passports.

In addition to this, South Africa is offering five-year multiple-entry visas for qualifying Nigerian business people.

Ramaphosa said these reforms reflect South Africa’s commitment to fostering a better business environment by removing constraints to investments and addressing challenges faced by companies in both countries.

Before the reforms, Nigerians had often missed trips and engagements in other countries because their passports were stuck at the South African embassy. The new development would mean that applicants can travel to other countries while waiting for their South African visa processing.

The multiple-entry visas mean that a Nigerian traveller can enter and exit South Africa multiple times within a specified period of time. This visa type is a popular choice for frequent travellers because it’s more flexible than a single-entry visa, which requires reapplying for a new visa each time a traveller wishes to visit.

Before now, some Nigerians who applied for South African visas lamented that they were denied visas by the country’s mission even after they had met the requirements. The applicants denied visas included students, investors and tourists.

Against the stipulated wait time of 10 to 15 days, applicants have had to wait for over one month to get back their passports, many of whom were eventually denied visas.

In 2022, Air Peace suspended flight operations to Johannesburg, South Africa, citing delays in visa approvals.

The airline however resumed flight operations into the route but reduced aircraft capacity by downsizing from Boeing 777 aircraft with over 300 seat capacity to Embraer E195 which has 124 seating capacity.

BusinessDay’s findings show that the reduction in seat capacity by Air Peace was connected to the frequent visa denials.

Before COVID-19, South African Airways had operated fully booked daily flights to South Africa on its Airbus 333 aircraft, (238 seat capacity), but the situation changed as the airline operates four weekly flights from Nigeria to South Africa, with not up to a 60 percent load factor.

During this period, Nigerians’ applications for South African visas reduced owing to delays and denials, according to travel agents.

The development then contributed to the rise in travels to Rwanda and Kenya from Nigeria.

With the new reforms, travel experts say they hope to see more flight frequencies as more passengers would be issued visas.

“If the visa reforms become effective, we expect to see good flight frequency. Some Nigerian airlines have gone on this route before and had to pull out. Some of them were Virgin Nigeria, Arik Air and at some point, Air Peace,” Olumide Ohunayo, industry analyst and director of research at Zenith Travels, told BusinessDay.

Ohunayo said South Africa’s new travel reforms would boost tourism and travel.

He envisaged that the airlines would participate and there could be more tourists from Nigeria and South Africa.

“Again, flights to Australia and New Zealand will become cheaper and faster. So it is a good one if it works well,” Ohunayo added.

Seyi Adewale, chief executive officer of Mainstream Cargo Limited, told BusinessDay that the new visa reforms would see Nigeria and South Africa cooperate and collaborate in trade.

“Secondly, South Africa has seen the need to allow fairer opportunities for Nigerians to do business within its borders and potentially may be targeting a certain type of need,” Adewale said.

He also said the reforms may tame the resistance and xenophobic attitudes or attacks on Nigerian citizens and avoid future reciprocity.

Requirements for entering South Africa include: a valid and acceptable passport or travel document for the intended stay, at least one blank page in the passport for endorsement, a valid visa, if required, sufficient funds to pay for applicant’s day-to-day expenses during his or her stay, a return or onward ticket, a yellow fever certificate if applicant’s journey starts or entails passing through the yellow fever belt of Africa or South America.

DECEMBER 06, 2024

Sfundo Parakozov

JOHANNESBURG, Dec 5 (Reuters) – South African Airways said it had cancelled flights to Perth and Sao Paulo on Thursday after receiving confirmation from the SAA Pilots Association that they planned to strike following a deadlock in pay talks.

The company decided to cancel the Perth and Sao Paulo routes last night after being told the strike planned for Thursday would go ahead, Khaya Buthelezi, the airline’s senior manager of corporate relations, told Reuters.

“That’s the decision we took last night since we could not find partner airlines that we can transfer our customers to, it became clear that those two routes must be cancelled,” he said.

Early on Thursday, there were no disruptions to domestic flights and routes across Africa as the airline had made contingency plans, he said.

Some pilots were seen picketing outside the SAA office at the OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, Buthelezi said.

The SAA Pilots Association (SAAPA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SAAPA’s initial demand proposed in May was for a 30% increase in pilot salaries, which was subsequently reduced to 15.7%, including associated benefits, SAA said in a statement earlier this week.

The company’s interim Chief Executive Officer John Lamola said in that statement that the demand for a 15.7% pay rise would trigger the company’s decline into bankruptcy.

The airline has offered an 8.46% pay increase backdated to April.

The national carrier was on the verge of being liquidated before it entered a form of bankruptcy protection in 2019.

(Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov, Editing by Bhargav Acharya and Jane Merriman)

DECEMBER 09, 2024

By Gift Habib

United States President-elect Donald Trump has announced plans to deport all immigrants in the United States illegally over his upcoming four-year term.

In an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump detailed his vision for a broad crackdown on illegal immigration, which he intends to classify as a national emergency upon taking office on January 20.

According to Reuters, the Department of Homeland Security estimates that as of January 2022, over 11 million people are in the US without legal status, a figure likely higher today.

Trump affirmed his intention to remove all unauthorized immigrants, stating, “I think you have to do it. It’s a very tough thing to do. You know, you have rules, regulations, laws.”

While emphasising enforcement, Trump signaled willingness to negotiate protections for “Dreamers,” immigrants brought to the US illegally as children.

During his first term, Trump attempted to dismantle the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, which provides deportation relief to this group, but was blocked by the Supreme Court.

Trump also plans to issue an executive order to end birthright citizenship on his first day in office.

The policy, which grants citizenship to anyone born on US soil regardless of their parents’ immigration status, is rooted in the 14th Amendment of the Constitution and reinforced by an 1898 Supreme Court decision.

“We’ll maybe have to go back to the people,” he said.

Trump acknowledged potential legal challenges to his proposal and suggested that achieving this goal might require a constitutional amendment.

The implementation of these measures would demand substantial financial resources.

The American Immigration Council estimates the cost of deporting all unauthorized immigrants at $88 billion annually. Trump’s team, including incoming border czar Tom Homan, has called on Congress to provide significant funding increases to support immigration enforcement efforts.

DECEMBER 09, 2024

For the first time, Nigeria has been excluded from countries with trapped funds as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that $1.7 billion in airline funds are blocked from repatriation by governments as of the end of October 2024.

This is a small improvement compared to the $1.8 billion reported at the end of April. “Over the last six months, we have seen significant reductions in blocked funds in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Algeria and Ethiopia. At the same time, amounts are rising in the XAF /XOF  zones and Mozambique.

“Bolivia has also emerged as a problem, where repatriating sales revenues is becoming increasingly difficult and unsustainable for airlines. This unfortunate game of ‘whack-a-mole’ is unacceptable.  Governments must remove all barriers for airlines to repatriate their revenues from ticket sales and other activities by international agreements and treaty obligations,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“No country wants to lose aviation connectivity, which drives economic prosperity. But if airlines cannot repatriate their revenues, they cannot be expected to provide a service. Economies will suffer if connectivity collapses. So, it is in everyone’s interest, including governments, to ensure that airlines can repatriate their funds smoothly,” said Walsh.

Nine countries account for 83 percper the airline industry’s blocked funds, amounting to $1.43 billion.

They include Pakistan, XAF Zone, Bangladesh, Algeria,  Lebanon Mozambique, Angola, Eritrea and XOF Zone.

Recalled that in June IATA confirmed that the Central Bank of Nigeria cleared foreign airlines trapped funds worth $831m from June last year to date. The Geneva, Switzerland-based IATA said the development had brought international airlines’ trapped funds globally to about $1.8bn.The association representing international airlines said the remaining $19m was awaiting the CBN verification through commercial banks.

According to IATA, from the peak of about $850m foreign airlines’ funds in Nigeria last June, only $19m is left outstanding.

Pakistan continues to top the list of blocked funds countries at $311 million. This is an improvement from $411 million in April 2024. The main issue is the system of audit and tax exemption certificates which is causing long processing delays.

Bangladesh has seen the amount of blocked funds decrease to $196 million (from $320 million in April). The Central Bank needs to continue to prioritize airlines’ access to foreign exchange in line with international treated obligations.

About $1 billion of airline money blocked from repatriation is in African countries. That is about 59 per cent of the global tally. Over the last six months, there were significant reductions in blocked funds in Algeria ($193 million from $286 million in April) and Ethiopia ($43 million from $149 million in April). At the same time, XAF Zone (+$84 million), Mozambique (+$84 million) and XOF Zone (+$73 million) contributed to the largest increases.

Bolivia is new to the list of blocked fund countries. A further deterioration in the availability of foreign exchange, particularly the US dollar, has resulted in an estimated $42 million in airline funds being blocked in the country.