Africa has secured eight out of the 36 seats on the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Council, representing nearly one-fourth of the entire Council. The elections took place during the 42nd Session of the ICAO Council held at ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada, September 23-October 3, 2025.
Egypt, Nigeria, and South Africa were elected to PART II of the ICAO Council, alongside States from other regions, namely Argentina, Colombia, Denmark, India, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, and Switzerland. The PART II, ICAO stated, comprise of “States which make the largest contribution to the provision of facilities for international civil air navigation.”
Similarly, Angola, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, Morocco, and Uganda were elected to PART III of ICAO Council, which are made up of “States ensuring geographic representation.” Other States elected in this category include Belize, Cuba, Ecuador, Malaysia, Poland, Qatar, the Republic of Korea, the United Arab Emirates, and Uruguay.
States in PART I of ICAO Council, which involves “States of chief importance in air transport,” include Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. “All elected States will form the Council for a three-year term. The 36-member Council is the governing body of the Organization,” ICAO stated.
AFCAC played a pivotal role in coordinating Africa’s participation and success at the elections, with tremendous support from the African Union Commission (AUC), Africa’s regional organizations, and partners. The President of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), Mr. Florent Dzota, and the Secretary General of AFCAC, Ms. Adefunke Adeyemi, lauded Africa’s achievements at the elections, which will strengthen Africa’s contributions to regional and global civil aviation goals.
Further, the AUC said that “this outcome is a powerful testament to the international community’s trust in Africa’s leadership and the continent’s united commitment to shaping global aviation governance.” It will accelerate Africa’s integration
and the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) towards achieving AU Agenda 2063. AUC commended Egypt, Nigeria, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritania, and Zimbabwe for ably representing Africa on the ICAO Council during the 2022–2025 triennium.
