African transport ministers began meeting to forge a common air safety policy for the continent, where the rate of fatal plane crashes is nine times the world average. The conference comes at “a critical moment where our continent is threatened with being marginalised in world air transport,” said Gabonese Prime Minister Jean Eyeghe Ndong, opening the two-day meeting in the Gabonese capital.

“The challenge consists of knowing how to benefit from the advantages of economic liberalisation ... without compromising security and safety,” he told Agence France Presse.
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