As Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) takes shape in Africa, stakeholders aren’t rushing to scale before figuring out the safety and security aspect. Instead, they are asking questions, confronting the hard truths, and developing security and safety frameworks that apply to the African landscape.
A panel discussion that brought together drone professionals, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) from across the world, AAM pioneers, and aviation professionals revealed Africa’s pragmatic approach to AAM. Notably, the panelists didn’t claim to have all the answers. Instead, they discussed the gaps and lessons learned and agreed that Africa needs to write its own security playbook before embarking on AAM.
About the Event
This discussion was held at Kenya’s first Advanced Air Mobility Symposium, organized by Fahari Aviation, a leading drone company in Kenya. It brought together major players in the AAM industry, such as Archer Aviation, Supernal, and Electra Aero, as well as major airlines such as Kenya Airways, Kenya’s official airline. The discussion about Safety and Security in AAM included the following panelists:
- Ms. Hellen Makau (AVSEC PM) – Chief Aviation Security Inspector, Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
- Godwin Balang – Director, Aerodrome & Airspace Standards, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority
- Capt. Haig Anyonyi – Director, Corporate Quality, Safety & Environment, Kenya Airways
- Henton Kagiri – Head of Training, Fahari Aviation
- Swabira Abdulrazak – Innovations Drone Lead, Kenya Red Cross Society
Rejecting the Copy-Paste Model
For a long time now, Africa has used a copy-paste model, taking manned aviation policies and applying them to the unmanned aviation sector. There have also been instances where some African countries or companies have taken foreign policies and copied them into their policies, or taken the policies and manuals used by their competitors and used them as their own. The panelists agreed that doing this for AAM would be dangerous. The unmanned aviation sector is different in each country. Copying policies may have severe consequences or simply not prove helpful for the various use cases.
Instead, the panelists advocated for a project-based approach where stakeholders formulate standard operating procedures (SOPs) that apply to the project at hand. They also advocated for regulators to develop specific policies that apply to their region or a particular use case. For instance, different policies would apply to AAM (including drone deliveries) and other drone use cases like crop spraying.
Cultural and Institutional Capacity Building
The panelists raised concerns about the inadequacy or, in some cases, complete lack of a safety culture in Africa. One panelist mentioned that the same people who refuse to wear helmets when riding motorcycles may be those tasked to operate the AAM drones. If a safety culture is not instilled from the start, this could lead to more severe repercussions. The panelists emphasized proactive safety education across all levels of education and the need for organisations to shift to a safety culture. Technical regulations alone will not suffice.
The panelists also addressed delayed investigations after accidents. This indicates an institutional weakness in Africa’s aviation industry. They pushed for faster investigations, to help the relevant people learn from them. This will ensure faster policy changes and help to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. When an investigation takes up to five years, more similar incidents may occur in the meantime. This could derail the scaling of AAM.
Security and Cybersecurity Awareness
The panelists highlighted the challenge of securing a more decentralized AAM infrastructure. Manned aviation is more centralized in Africa, which makes it easier to secure. AAM poses a challenge, as operations will launch from multiple and less-controlled sites. The panel highlighted unauthorized remote control, spoofing, and jamming as real threats to AAM operations.
The panelists suggested geofencing, UAS traffic management (UTM) systems, and more robust cybersecurity measures must be in place before AAM can scale in Africa. Drawing from legacy systems such as the Boeing 787’s encrypted post-flight data upload, they urged African regulators to adopt similar models. They also advocated for real-time data logging to detect any interceptions or other anomalies early on.
Calls For Collaboration
Referencing the event’s Financing of AAM in Africa, these panelists emphasized collaboration to ease the financial burden on operators and create more opportunities for trial AAM operations. They agreed that collaboration was key and urged the government, operators, manufacturers, and other stakeholders to come together to ensure safer AAM operations.
Abdulrazak mentioned how, in the past, the Kenya Red Cross relied on partnerships to fill gaps in drone availability, training, and operations. This cross-sector collaboration was described as a “cheat code” to launch AAM operations, especially in resource-constrained areas.
Practical Training and Local Solutions
The panelists mentioned that training should also evolve to meet the demands of AAM. They highlighted situations where people transitioning from manned aviation have had to retrain on things they already know. Instead, they emphasized utilizing the knowledge that students already have. The panelists also suggested incorporating field and real-world scenarios in addition to class and simulator training to train students equipped to handle the local environment.
Summary of the Lessons Learned
The panelists did not offer a silver bullet, which is understandable since Africa has yet to launch AAM on a large scale. Still, this discussion offered several lessons about success for AAM in Africa. These lessons may equally apply in other places globally that are in the early stages of AAM development.
Start with Safety, Not Scale
Africa’s AAM ecosystem is still young, which presents a valuable opportunity. Instead of inheriting outdated, one-size-fits-all systems, African stakeholders can develop adaptive frameworks that prioritize real-world safety from the outset. As multiple panelists emphasized, rushing to deploy without laying this foundation would only invite avoidable risk.
Customize, Not Generalize
African drone operations range from agricultural spraying to humanitarian aid delivery in remote regions. Imposing generic regulations borrowed from manned aviation or other markets fails to reflect these diverse realities. Performance-based oversight, where approval is based on risk assessments and operational needs, is essential.
Build Culture Before Hardware
One of the strongest themes was the need to foster a safety mindset. The panelists reminded the audience that many drone operators are drawn from populations that may lack foundational safety discipline. Training must address personal accountability and situational awareness.
Cybersecurity Is Physical Security
The panelists highlighted how cyber threats are no longer hypothetical. Unauthorized access, jamming, and spoofing can disable or misdirect a vehicle into a populated area. Panelists encouraged learning from commercial aviation’s best practices, such as encrypted data transfers and routine anomaly logging, to ensure trust in autonomous systems.
Train For Reality, Not Theory
Fahari Aviation’s hands-on approach to training is already setting a precedent. Scenarios based on actual use cases, simulation exercises, and recognition of existing skills were all cited as critical for building operator competency. It’s not about ticking boxes—it’s about preparing pilots for what they’ll face in the field.
Collaboration Beats Isolation
A consistent message emerged: collaboration accelerates safety. Africa’s constraints—limited funding, skills gaps, evolving regulation—make partnership necessary.
Writing a New Code…and Chapter In Aviation History
Africa may not have fully “cracked the code” on launching AAM, but it is in a good position to write a new one that applies to its landscape. The Advanced Air Mobility Symposium illustrated how Africa is ready to ask the right questions, partner with the right people, and is open to AAM innovation. We can only hope that there will be successful projects in Africa to learn from by the time they hold the next discussion.
By: Peter Karanja