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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the African Union Commission (AUC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the development of air transport in Africa, according to a statement on Thursday.

The aim of the partnership is to enhance security through intelligence-driven and risk-based measures; enhance safety, promote connectivity, and reduce accident rates in line with global levels of performance.

The partnership also focuses on facilitating collaborative decision-making in air traffic management, improving the passenger experience through the deployment of IATA’s Fast Travel Programme, and a suite of projects designed to give passengers more control over their journey.

"Africa is set to be one of the fastest-growing aviation regions with 5% annual growth forecast over the next 20 years,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO. “Achieving this potential will not happen by chance; strong partnerships are key.”

Tyler added that the MoU will help to ensure that global standards and best practices form the backbone of Africa’s growth and position the continent’s countries for economic and social development through the full power of aviation.

The agreement was signed by Tyler and AU’s Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, Dr. Elham Mahmoud Ahmed Ibrahim, in Geneva, Switzerland.

Despite being one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world, Africa still accounts for less than 3 percent of the air passenger market. The region also has the lowest revenue passenger kilometre, a key aviation metric, of 134 billion kilometres as of 2013, compared to 303 billion kilometres in Latin America, 500 billion kilometres in the Middle East, 1.51 trillion kilometres in North America, 1.56 trillion kilometres in Europe, and 1.79 trillion kilometres in Asia.

The African aviation industry, however, supports 6.8 million jobs and generates $72.5 billion of economic activity on the continent, according to the IATA.

"IATA is a strategic partner in the growth of African aviation,” said Dr. Ibrahim. “This MoU will commit our two organizations to even closer cooperation on the priorities for African aviation. In particular, we count on IATA to partner with us by providing the requisite technical support in the establishment of the Single African Air Transport Market as part of our long-term vision in the context of the AU Agenda 2063.”