9 March 2026 (Amman) — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the 2026 edition of IATA Focus Africa Conference will convene under the theme ‘Elevating Aviation Safety, Connectivity, and Operational Efficiency in Africa’ in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 29-30 April 2026, hosted by Ethiopian Airlines.
‘Aviation has the potential to do much more to enable Africa’s economic and social development. Improving safety, harmonizing regulations, and reducing costs while increasing operational efficiency are at the top of the agenda for this edition of the IATA Focus Africa Conference. The demand to support 3-4% growth annually is there. Focus Africa aims to align the continent’s aviation stakeholders in taking the pragmatic steps needed to turn potential into a sustainable reality,’ said Kamil Alawadhi, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East.
Ethiopian Airlines hosted the inaugural Focus Africa Conference in 2023. Since then, IATA’s Focus Africa initiative has led several key developments for African aviation.
This next edition of the Focus Africa conference will take stock of these and other advancements while identifying the critical next steps in the development of Africa’s aviation sector.
Kamil Alawadhi will be speaking at the event, joined by a distinguished lineup of CEOs and industry leaders including:
The conference will feature keynote speeches, panel discussions, and presentations addressing: