SIERRA LEONE CIVIL AVIATION AUTHORITY HOSTS 4TH BAGASOO TECHNICAL COMMITTEE SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING IN FREETOWN (10-14 MARCH 2025).
Freetown, Sierra Leone – The Sierra Leone Civil Aviation Authority (SLCAA) successfully hosted the 4th meeting of the BAGASOO Technical Committee Safety (TCS) from 10th to 14th March 2025 in Freetown. The meeting brought together representatives from the member states of the Banjul Accord Group Aviation Safety Oversight Organisation (BAGASOO), including Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. The meeting was chaired by Arnold Hassan Bangura, the Director-General of SLCAA, with Nigeria serving as Vice Chair, and The Gambia and Ghana acting as secretaries.
The primary focus of the five-day meeting was to enhance aviation safety across the BAGASOO member states through the development and review of various key safety oversight documents. Among the significant areas of discussion were the BAGASOO Generic Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs), the proposed amendments to Part 19, the Compliance Checklist and Electronic Filing of Differences (CC/EFOD) for Annex 19 on Safety Management, and the proposed BAGASOO Generic State Safety Programme. These materials are critical to ensuring that the member states maintain high standards of aviation safety in line with global best practices.
The committee also reviewed guidance materials for the development and evaluation of Safety Management System (SMS) manuals and procedures for assessing SMS implementation. A significant highlight of the meeting was the assessment of the BAGASOO Safety Oversight Portal, with a demonstration and presentation by the BAGASOO Secretariat team, aimed at enhancing the safety oversight capabilities of member states.
In the final days of the meeting, Ghana and Sierra Leone shared their experiences and lessons learned in Aviation Safety Management and State Safety Programmes, further enriching the discussions and reinforcing regional cooperation.
This meeting underscored BAGASOO’s continued commitment to enhancing aviation safety and oversight within its member states, working towards harmonized regulations, and ensuring that all member states remain up-to-date with the latest safety technologies and best practices in the aviation industry.
