A push to eliminate long-standing disparities in how East African countries examine and license pilots and flight dispatchers has taken centre stage at a five-day regional workshop in Kampala.
The meeting, hosted by the Uganda Civil Aviation Authority (UCAA) in partnership with the East African Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (CASSOA), is expected to produce the first harmonised regional framework for flight crew and flight dispatcher skill testing.
Opening the workshop, UCAA Director for Safety, Security and Economic Regulation, Eng. Ronnie Baronzo, said the region can no longer afford fragmented standards in such a sensitive sector.
“Our strategic goal is to enhance aviation safety and efficiency in our region through a harmonized regional framework for flight crew and flight dispatch skill testing,” he said.
“For us in Uganda, we don’t take safety lightly. We repeat it three times — safety, safety, safety.”
Baronzo said that while the EAC has already aligned regulations, guidance materials and theory examinations, practical skill tests — the final gateway to licensing pilots and dispatchers — have remained uneven across partner states.
“Now we are going to harmonise and learn from each other — mainly best practices — and improve in areas where some states may have challenges,” he said.
He emphasised that aligning with ICAO Annex 1 standards and fully integrating Competency-Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) would raise professionalism and eliminate unnecessary duplication of tests for aviation personnel who train in one EAC country and work in another.
CASSOA Director Technical, Paul Lukanga, stressed that pilots and flight dispatchers must be examined under uniform regional criteria because their functions are closely interconnected.
“Flight dispatchers — or flight operations officers — are what we call pilots on the ground. They assist pilots in their day-to-day activities, so their roles interact very well,” he said.
He noted that ICAO sets minimum standards, but states have historically set differing higher requirements.
“Uganda may set the minimum pilot age at 18, Burundi at 20, and internationally it is 16. That creates disharmony,” Lukanga said.
“We want East Africa to have one harmonised position so that qualifications issued in one state are valid across all eight EAC countries.”
Pilots say these inconsistencies have had real financial and career implications, especially for Ugandans trained in neighbouring states.
Captain George Mazige, Vice President of the Uganda Professional Pilots Association, described the current system as “cumbersome and costly.”
“We have Ugandans who train across East Africa. When they come back home, they are subjected to fresh examinations which actually has a cost implication,” he said.
“A Ugandan trained in Nairobi should not have to pay again to be examined in Kampala.”
Mazige said the long-term goal is a regional licence recognised in all partner states — a process that must begin with harmonised skill testing.
“There will be no need for re-examination if you travel within the region,” he said.
Over the five days, participants will work toward a unified regional testing blueprint. The workshop will review current practices, benchmark against ICAO Annex 1, identify gaps, develop a standardised framework for examiners, integrate CBTA into all testing processes, and adopt a roadmap for harmonised skill-test standards across the EAC.
The meeting, taking place at Protea Hotel Skyz Naguru from November 17 to 21, 2025, has drawn regulators, examiners, pilots, dispatchers and training institutions from across the region.
“Together, we can elevate our standards and ensure the highest level of safety and professionalism. This workshop is not the end — it is the beginning of a stronger regional aviation system,” organisers said.
