LUSAKA, Zambia -- The 14th African Air Chiefs Symposium co-hosted by the Zambia Air Force and U.S. Air Forces Europe-Air Forces Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, came to a close Feb. 21.
More than 240 participants from 38 nations attended the symposium to include air chiefs, liaison officers, Women, Peace and Security representatives and senior enlisted representatives.
This year’s theme was ‘Strategic Collaboration and Operational Excellence: Enhancing effectiveness of the Association of African Air Forces. Zambia Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Oscar Nyoni, the Association of African Air Forces chairman, highlighted the challenges Zambia faces with natural disasters and the importance of gathering air chiefs across the continent.
“During the African Air Chiefs Symposium 2024 in Tunisia, it became abundantly clear that the Association of African Air Forces needed to redirect its efforts toward fostering multilateral collaboration and interoperability to confront these shared challenges effectively,” said Nyoni. “Air forces across Africa possess a unique capability to do more than just safeguard our skies. With diverse air assets and skilled personnel, we have the potential to provide vital support to nations in distress.”
During the event, African air forces conducted a tabletop exercise focused on a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief scenario. The exercise was a key step in advancing the AAAF exercise series, the tactical means by which the association will operationalize its goals of developing each member African air force’s capacity, capability, and interoperability. The end goal is to conduct an intra-continental live-fly exercise in 2026.
The commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe - Air Forces Africa and AAAF co-chairman, Gen. James Hecker praised the participants for their accomplishments and the progress they made in the TTX in addressing considerations ranging from fuel to diplomatic clearances.
“The multilateral partnerships developed during the African Air Chiefs Symposium are key in the preparation and response to cross-continental natural disasters,” said Hecker. “Developing African-led solutions to these enduring challenges will help save lives.”
Other highlights of the symposium included a joint Senior Enlisted and Commander panel, in which African SERs and air chiefs discussed the professional development of their enlisted corps.
Additionally, the member air chiefs approved the African Noncommissioned Officer handbook by an overwhelming vote during the symposium. The handbook provides a roadmap for the development of NCOs across African air forces.
“The Senior Enlisted Forum has worked diligently for two years to author a unified foundation on which to build empowered, developed NCOs that are better able to execute missions on behalf of their commanders,” said Chief Master Sgt. Randy Kwiatkowski, USAFE-AFAFRICA command chief. “This week the air chiefs validated our efforts by voting to include the African NCO handbook as a part of the Association of African Air Forces’ library – a monumental success for the team.”
A Women, Peace and Security panel brought together WPS representatives from 25 African nations to share experiences and challenges faced in their respective Air Forces. The discussion highlighted the importance of WPS integration in African air forces.
The keynote panelists included Maj. Gen. Fatuma Ahmed, the Kenya Air Force air chief and first African female air chief, as well as United Nations representatives.
During the closing ceremony, the new AAAF anthem was played after the transfer of the new AAAF flag to the Nigerian Air Force as the future chair for the AAAF and host for AACS 2026. The air chiefs voted to officially adopt both the anthem and flag during AACS 2025.
Air Marshal Hasan B. Abubakar, the NAF chief of staff, said African air forces need a shared vision and to remain steadfast.
“Together we can achieve greatness as one unified continent,” Abubakar said. “This symposium is more than just a meeting of minds; it is a demonstration of our commitment towards a safe, more secure and prosperous Africa. Our collaboration is a powerful reminder of the importance of finding African solutions to African problems.”
The AAAF is a voluntary, non-political organization focused on collaborative engagements to promote African-led air power solutions among 29 African member nations and the U.S. Air Force. The annual air chiefs symposium is the organization’s keystone multinational security cooperation event for member air chiefs to address key challenges confronting African air forces.