Management and functional review ministry of transport and aviation

Functions and Mandate

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  Licensing and regulation of Civil Aviation in accordance with International and domestic demands for air transportation and air cargo services including oversight in the provision, operation and maintenance of aerodromes and related facilities for aviation, and to advice Government on the efficient development of the Aviation Industry
  
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  Promotion and development of aviation safety, including oversight in aircraft operation, air navigation facilities and services, air traffic control, meteorological services and facilities to combat hazards to air navigation
  
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  Licensing and registering of aircraft and ensuring safety of air navigation
  
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  Licensing and regulation of air transport
  
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  Coordinating search and rescue operations
  
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  Certifying and regulating the operations of air travel agents
  

Structures

Civil Aviation had operated as a department in the Ministry of Transport and Aviation until in 2008, when the SLCAA was established as an autonomous Authority. The defunct Civil Aviation Department was under the direct superintendence of the Ministry of Transport, with a Director as one of the line Managers in the Ministry. The 2008 CAA Act made provision for a Director-General and Deputy Director-General with a Board of Directors charged with the responsibility of overseeing the activities and operations of CAA. Currently, the SLCAA does not have a substantive management structure in place. The former Director of the Aviation Department is serving as the Director General. As per provisions of the CAA Act, the Authority should have a functioning Board of Directors, which is currently lacking. The Review team is of the view that urgent action should be taken by the Government to appoint a substantive management structure and a Board of Directors with oversight responsibility over the SLCAA.

Staffing

According to information provided by the SLCAA, there are 19 names on the staff list, of which majority of these are currently serving as secretaries and messengers. The Authority does not have adequate technical and professional staff to carry out its activities, although two inspectors and five cadet officers were recently recruited. The Authority is largely been assisted by COSCAP/ICAO who had made frantic efforts to assign a flight operations Inspector to the SLCAA in order to help the Authority comply with the current ICAO requirements of International Safety Obligations. The proposed organizational structure of the Authority is attached as Appendix 6.

Given the importance of technical expertise within the Authority, it is recommended that recruitment of additional technical / professional staff be pursued without delay.

Training

A functioning SLCAA is vital in generating revenue and for safe flight operations. With enormous technical responsibility relating to flight operations, there is every need to capacitate staff to enable them perform their tasks efficiently and effectively. It is not only important to have technical/professional Staff, but also that Staff undergo periodic training to update their knowledge/skills. We therefore recommend that a Human Resource Development Plan is developed to meet the training requirements of the Authority.

Scheme of Service

The Authority had a Scheme of service that was developed by a Consultant when it operated as a department in the Ministry of Transport. However, the Scheme of Service does not take on board all relevant positions highlighted in the proposed organizational structure. For the purposes of role clarity to maximize efficiency, we recommend that the existing Scheme of Service is reviewed to ensure that all professional, technical and clerical staff are provided with a written job description.

Oversight Responsibility

With the new mandate and function of SLCAA, the Authority exhibits oversight responsibility over the Sierra Leone Airport Authority, Aviation Training Institutions and other Aviation Stakeholders. However, there seems to be no institutional framework to enhance this oversight responsibility. We recommend that the Authority should establish appropriate institutional frameworks to facilitate the regulatory, supervisory and policy management and oversight responsibilities it has over these institutions.

Low Budget Allocation and Lack of Funding

Government budget allocation to the Authority is inadequate. This is one of the greatest challenges facing the Authority, particularly as it has to provide professional training opportunities for its staff in such critical areas as airworthiness operations, air traffic controls, etc. We recommend that Government should provide adequate funding for the Authority until such a time when the Authority will generate its own resources.

Procurement

The Procurement Act does not discriminate against MDAs with respect to size or volume of activities. MDAs are urged to undertake procurement in accordance with the Procurement Rules. Accordingly, we recommend that the Authority should continue to implement the procurement rules as prescribed in the Procurement Act and the Procurement Committee should continue to function even after the initial discussions in the budget allocation.

Internal Audit

The Authority is without an Internal Auditor, although provision is been made for one in its proposed organizational structure. The Internal Auditor will ensure transparency and prudency in the use of resources, as well as guide the Authority in the implementation of financial management systems and procurement. We recommend that the Authority liaises with the Audit Services on acquiring an Internal Auditor according to the generic terms of reference developed for the post of Internal Auditor in MDAs.

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