This article examines
the prospects and challenges of competition regimes in the Single African Air
Transport Market (SAATM), an initiative of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 for
a liberal intra-continental aviation industry. It theorizes the major economic
and regulatory concerns related to competition and contextualizes them within
intra-African air transport competition. A principal focus is placed on Annex 5
to the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) relating to Regulations on competition in air
transport services on the continent. The YD is a foundational legal instrument
for liberalizing intra-African aviation and the primary regulatory instrument
for SAATM. The article examines the effectiveness of competition regulation
under Annex 5, the role of the Executing Agency (EA) established under it, and
the functions and limitations of sub-regional and national competition
frameworks. The findings show that the continent has made substantial progress
in advancing legal and institutional frameworks for competition management but
suffers several challenges, including the implementation and enforcement
capacities of African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) as the EA, the dual
role of Regional Economic Communities’ (REC’s) competition regimes, and the
fragmentation and varying level of maturity of national competition
regulations. An urgent need to foster implementation capacity of AFCAC, in
addition to aligning regional and national policy frameworks with Annex 5 is
indicated. Cooperation between continental, regional, and national institutions
in investigations, information sharing and capacity building will enhance the
efficacy of the various institutions in implementing competition regimes that
enhance the goals of socioeconomic development and regional integration in
Africa.