The African continent is the second largest continent in terms of land mass and population, comprising 54 culturally diverse countries, many with distinct histories and identities. The continent is about three times the size of the United States, roughly the size of Argentina, China, India, Kazakhstan, Mexico, and the United States combined (see fig. 1). African countries are politically varied, ranging from dictatorships to emerging democracies. African countries also vary in the types and quantities of natural resources they control and in the size and strength of their economies. For example, the gross domestic product of African countries ranged from about $145 million to $277 billion in 2007, with countries rich in natural resources, such as petroleum and diamonds, generally having larger economies. In comparison, the gross domestic product of the mparison, the gross domestic product of the United States was almost $14 trillion in 2007. United States was almost $14 trillion in 2007. Area (in millionof uare mile) World Development Indicators database, World Bank, September 10, 2008. economic benefits both locally and globally. In particular, the remoteness and size of some African countries, coupled with underdeveloped—and sometimes unsafe—road networks, makes air transport critical for connecting some African markets to other African markets, the United States, and the rest of the world. Our literature synthesis suggests that safe aviation could increase connectivity and potentially create economic and social benefits for a country. For example, aviation can contribute to sustainable development by facilitating tourism and trade. Such development, in turn, generates economic growth, provides jobs, and can improve living standards, alleviate poverty, contribute to social stability, and increase tax revenues. Similarly, according to the literature we reviewed, when a developing country creates additional airline connections with other countries, it may derive potential economic benefits in the form of increased exports, as well as tourism and business opportunities. For example, Africa is a growing export market for U.S.- manufactured products, including aircraft and air navigation systems. According to DOT reports, several African countries have stated their intention to purchase aviation security equipment based on the same technologies as equipment donated to them by the United States. The literature we reviewed also mentions other potential benefits to improving aviation safety in Africa, including the following: Improved safety of the global aviation system. Aviation is a global enterprise, and maintaining a safe system is the foundation upon which the entire global aviation system network operates. One country’s failure to comply with international aviation safety standards could have disastrous consequences for other countries’ air carriers and passengers. Improved U.S. national security. Civil aircraft traveling from some African countries to other parts of the world potentially pose a threat to U.S. national security because adequate safety and security measures are not in place in those countries. In particular, African countries with weak aviation oversight are more likely to have airports that act as transit points for illicit activities, such as arms transfers and trafficking, encouraging criminals to establish organizational bases in these areas. Efforts have been made to improve connectivity as a means of creating economic benefits for both the United States and African countries, as well as for pursuing strategic and foreign policy interests. For example, in 2000, Congress identified Africa as a strategic trading partner under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). AGOA provides duty-free access for over 6,000 products from 40 Sub-Saharan African countries and has served as the central U.S. trade and investment policy toward Sub-Saharan Africa. AGOA is aimed at promoting open markets, expanding U.S.-Africa trade and investment, stimulating economic growth, and facilitating Sub-Saharan Africa’s integration into the global economy. Under AGOA, U.S. trade with Africa has grown substantially. For example, U.S. imports under AGOA have more than tripled for apparel—from $359.4 million in 2001 to $1.3 billion in 2007—while U.S. exports to Sub-Saharan Africa have more than doubled from $7 billion in 2001 to over $14.4 billion in 2007. In addition, the United States has been engaged in various strategic and foreign policy interests in Africa. For example, the Department of Defense (DOD) maintains a small military presence in Djibouti to provide a regional security presence related to counterterrorism for several Horn of Africa and East African countries. Similarly, the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership is a multiagency U.S. effort to provide support to nine north and western African countries relating to diplomacy, development assistance, and military activities aimed at strengthening country and regional counterterrorism capabilities. DOD’s plans to locate the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) on the continent are under review, and a decision on whether or where will not be made until the end of 2011. However, efforts to improve connectivity and commerce between the United States and Africa have been hindered, in part, by the overall poor condition of African nations’ aviation systems. The African continent has historically had a poor aviation safety record, compared with other regions of the world. For instance, the annual average accident rate per 1 million flights for the African region over the last 4 years is about 15 times greater than for North America (see fig. 2). Moreover, according to federal and other officials, the accident rate in Africa is likely to be higher than reported because accidents involving small aircrafts are underreported. For example, according to ICAO, on average, about 70 percent of accidents in Africa were not reported from 1990 through 2006. However, the accident rate among African countries varies greatly. In particular, a few African countries have a much higher accident rate than other African countries and contribute disproportionately to the continent’s overall accident rate. For example, over half the total number of aviation accidents in Africa over the last 10 years occurred in 4 of the continent’s 54 countries. ICAO is the international body that seeks to harmonize global aviation standards so that worldwide civil aviation can benefit from a seamless air transportation network. ICAO members, known as contracting states, including the United States, are not legally bound to act in accordance with ICAO standards and recommended practices. Rather, contracting states decide whether to transform the standards and recommended practices into national laws or regulations. In some cases, contracting states deviate from some of the ICAO standards and recommended practices, or do not implement some of them at all when they find it impracticable to do so. Contracting states are also responsible for the establishment of a regulatory framework to provide safety oversight for their civil aviation systems, and for developing the required aviation infrastructure necessary to maintain a safe, secure, and sustainable system. FAA is responsible for regulating the safety of civil aviation in the United States. FAA also works to advance the nation’s leadership on the international level by engaging in dialogue with aviation counterparts across the world, collaborating with ICAO, providing technical assistance and training, working to harmonize global standards toward developing a seamless air transportation network, and sharing expertise and technologies. In 1992, FAA established the International Aviation Safety Assessments (IASA) program based on its own and congressional concerns that the level of safety oversight being applied by other civil aviation authorities with air service to the United States was inadequate and not in compliance with international safety standards. The IASA program examines the ability of foreign countries, not individual air carriers, to adhere to international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and maintenance established by ICAO. FAA generally conducts a safety assessment when a foreign air carrier files an application with DOT requesting to initiate new air service to the United States, or take part in a code-share arrangement with U.S. airlines. FAA also conducts a safety assessment when reliable information indicates that another country with operators providing service to the United States has serious aviation oversight deficiencies. In conducting these assessments, FAA meets with officials from the foreign civil aviation authority and foreign air carrier and reviews pertinent records. FAA uses a two-tier rating system for the results of the assessments: Category 1 for countries that comply with ICAO standards and Category 2 for countries that do not. FAA uses this determination as part of its basis for recommending whether or not DOT should allow air carriers overseen by certain foreign civil aviation authorities to initiate, continue, or expand air service to the United States. In particular, air carriers in foreign countries without a Category 1 rating cannot initiate or continue service to the United States, take part in code-share arrangements with U.S. air carriers, or effectively increase air traffic with the United States. Currently, five African countries have a Category 1 rating: Cape Verde, Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, and South Africa. Partly because of the small number of Category 1 countries, direct connections between Africa and the United States are currently limited. In fact, only one U.S. commercial airline provides direct passenger service to the continent as of June 2009. Furthermore, there are only eight direct connections between U.S. cities and an African city, and three of these connections are provided solely by foreign air carriers (see fig. 3). According to our literature synthesis and U.S. and African officials we interviewed, the major challenge in improving aviation safety is that the highest levels of government in some African nations have not made it a priority. We have previously identified leadership support as critical to fundamental organizational changes—such as those required to prioritize aviation safety in some African countries. According to U.S. federal officials and ICAO representatives, making aviation a governmental priority is critical to the successful transformation of African civil aviation authorities. In fact, we found that in African countries that have succeeded in improving aviation safety and generating economic benefits, like Cape Verde (see table 1), top leadership’s clear and personal involvement has set the direction for civil aviation officials to act upon.