The Banjul Accord Group Accident Investigation Agency (BAGAIA) has been honoured with two Global Business Awards 2025, recognised as the Best Regional Aircraft Accident Investigation Agency in Africa and Capacity Building & Aviation Safety Group 2025, West Africa. The recognition highlights BAGAIA’s leadership in advancing aviation safety, capacity building, and regional cooperation across the continent.
The business awards, presented by Corporate Vision, acknowledges BAGAIA’s dedication to promoting aviation safety oversight and sustaining operational continuity during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that period, the agency successfully conducted both virtual and on-site missions to member states, ensuring uninterrupted progress in safety reforms and investigation capacity.
Through these interventions, BAGAIA championed the establishment and institutionalisation of independent Accident Investigation Authorities (AIAs) in member states, enabling five of its seven members to align with the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) “No Country Left Behind” initiative. Commissioner Charles Irikefe Erhueh described the recognition as a powerful testament to the agency’s consistency and impact in Africa’s safety landscape.
“It’s both humbling and amusing because BAGAIA remains the only regional aircraft accident investigation organisation in West Africa, indeed, in Africa yet these business awards reinforces how our singular presence has made a real difference,” Erhueh said.
He added that the honour reflects the agency’s unwavering commitment to building sustainable safety investigation capacity through technical missions, institutional reforms, and training.
Among its notable achievements, BAGAIA’s technical assistance mission to Sierra Leone resulted in an improvement in the country’s Effective Implementation (EI) rate for its Aircraft Incident Investigation Group (AIG) from 11.11% to 40.96%. Similarly, the peer review exercise in Nigeria boosted the country’s own AIG EI rating, while BAGAIA’s intervention in Namibia raised its EI from 70% to 79.01%, surpassing the global average. These measurable results demonstrate the tangible impact of regional cooperation.
In addition, BAGAIA has trained more than 450 accident investigators, expanding Africa’s pool of qualified professionals. Engineer Erhueh noted that these achievements underscore the importance of knowledge transfer, teamwork, and technical excellence in elevating aviation safety standards.
Beyond training, BAGAIA has developed harmonised investigation regulations and key technical documents such as the BAGAIA Safety Investigation Regulations and the BAGAIA Investigation Policies and Procedures Manual (BIPPM). These instruments have become the foundation for standardised investigation practices and have improved accountability across the region.
The agency’s dedication to collaboration has also inspired transparency and innovation through an interactive online platform, enabling member states to share safety data and lessons learned. Although the award title as “Best Regional Aircraft Accident Investigation Agency in West Africa” may appear technically redundant, given BAGAIA’s exclusive mandate, Erhueh maintained that the business awards validates Africa’s growing influence in global aviation safety.
BAGAIA’s continued advocacy, documentation support, and alignment with ICAO standards affirm its place as a driving force for safety, accountability, and capacity development in Africa’s aviation sector.
