ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an historical account of developments in bilateral and multilateral Air Service Agreements (ASAs) in Africa. Most accounts of the air transport liberalisation process and commercial air transport policy reforms in general have focused on North America, Europe, and, more recently, the Asia-Pacific region. The few accounts that do exist on ASA developments in Africa have been partial in terms of either the time-period of analysis or the sub-regions/countries analysed. The chapter provides a more complete historical account of ASAs in Africa spanning a 55-year period starting from the post-independence period of the 1960s to the modern age and covering all the continent's sub-regions to facilitate more informed judgements on the role, speed, and importance of the air transport liberalisation process in Africa. It deals with the early post-colonial period, details the first efforts towards more liberal air policies, and provides an account of the Yamoussoukro Decision and sub-regional fragmentation.
