Pretoria, South Africa: If there was ever a moment when South Africa’s aviation community paused, took a breath, and collectively imagined the continent’s future, it was during the Inaugural Aerotropolis Symposium hosted by the UNISA Gauteng Region between 29 and 31 October 2025.
From the outside it may have looked like another conference. But inside Kgorong’s fourth floor, something far more important was happening: Africa’s aviation thinkers and practitioners – academics, regulators, airline captains, planners, innovators, and students – were actively stitching together the fabric of a future aerotropolis economy. And in true Flying Jurist fashion, this wasn’t talk for the sake of talk; it was honest work, rooted in Africa’s realities and aspirations. Team Flying Jurist participated in this timely intervention by academia, in driving the narrative in aviation related development.
UNISA Registrar, Prof Moloko Sepota opened the event with a riveting address on the centrality of the catalytic niche area of aviation and aeronautical studies to the broader academic community. He highlighted how UNISA is pivoting around this niche area to ensure that it contributes to the economic growth of the Republic and the continent.
The symposium was led with conviction by Dr Erin Naudé, Director UNISA Gauteng Region, together with Dr Smangele Ntuli, Deputy Director in the same region, supported by their dedicated Gauteng Region team, and in close partnership with the College of Law’s Aviation Law Working Group under the headship of Prof Angelo Dube. The symposium featured other colleges at UNISA such as the College of Economic and Management Sciences (CEMS). What unfolded over three days became a living example of how the academy can – and must – sit at the centre of Africa’s aviation transformation.
A Keynote Worth Remembering: Dr William Kiema’s Continental Lens
The emotional and intellectual anchor of the symposium came from Dr William Kiema, joining virtually from Nairobi, Kenya. A respected aviation law specialist and long-standing collaborator of the Aviation Law Working Group, Dr Kiema delivered a keynote that many described as a “continental compass.”
He drew a clear line between Africa’s aerotropolis ambitions and the continent’s broader integration projects – the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). His message was unmistakable: if Africa is serious about building globally competitive aerotropoli, then regulatory harmonisation, open skies, and institutional capacity-building must anchor the journey.
His keynote was not an academic exercise; it was a call to action.
A Symposium With Substance: From Infrastructure to Sustainability to Regulation
Each day was themed to reflect a different dimension of the aerotropolis ecosystem:
- Day 1 opened with reflections on the origins and future of aerotropoli, followed by panels on infrastructure, skills development, aviation in conflict settings, and the sustainability agenda.
- Day 2 focused on policy, governance, entrepreneurship, digitalisation, smart aerotropolis frameworks, and green aviation.
- Day 3 – perhaps the highlight – was dedicated entirely to student research in aviation.
Industry voices were everywhere, including: SACAA, Dube TradePort, NECSA, SANSA, Gautrain Management Agency, Aerospace-3D, International Women in Nuclear, the ICRC, University of Pretoria, University of Johannesburg, TAGV Group, and others.
This blend of regulators, innovators, and operators meant the symposium never drifted into abstraction. Real issues were unpacked: pilot shortages, the sluggish pace of implementing the Yamoussoukro Decision, technology readiness for drone integration, sustainability challenges facing airports, community-inclusive planning, and the gaps in aviation training across the continent.
The participation of high school learners from Pretoria Technical High School was a purposeful stroke – a reminder that aviation’s future begins long before university.
Students Steal the Show: A New Generation Declares Itself
For many of us, the heart of the symposium was the Student Symposium on Day 3. It was not an add-on or ceremonial gesture; it was a fully-fledged academic platform.
Three PhD candidates and three Master’s students presented sophisticated work on subjects that sit at the heart of Africa’s aviation future:
- Realising the Single African Air Transport Market
- Harmonising training and licensing across Africa
- Deregulating aviation markets within the AfCFTA framework
- Chicago Convention notices of difference and international security
- Right-touch regulation for transport in the 4IR era
- Work–life balance among female pilots in Southern Africa
These were not undergraduate essays – they were substantive research outputs delivered with clarity and confidence. The students held their own before an audience that included SACAA officials, academics, airline captains, and policy specialists.
Feedback from the floor was robust, constructive, and energising. The academy often speaks of “developing the next generation of scholars.” At this symposium, that generation stood up and delivered.
Why This Symposium Matters for Africa’s Aerotropolis Future
To understand the significance of this event, one must appreciate the central role of the academy in aerotropolis development.
Aerotropoli are not just airports surrounded by property developments. As Dr Genevieve James highlighted in her opening address, “they are complex ecosystems – built on law, policy, urban planning, economics, environmental science, logistics, labour, and technology.
Only a university – especially one with UNISA’s multidisciplinary reach – can bring all these pieces into conversation. The Gauteng Region and the Aviation Law Working Group demonstrated that when academia leads, the industry follows with confidence.
Africa cannot build aerotropoli sustainably without:
- rigorous academic research,
- policy foresight,
- skills development,
- scenario planning, and
- evidence-based regulation.
This symposium is the clearest example yet of academia stepping into that leadership role – not as a commentator, but as an architect.
A Collaboration That Signals a New Approach
The partnership between the UNISA Gauteng Region (under Dr Naudé), the Aviation Law Working Group, and multiple UNISA colleges is not business as usual. It is a model for how higher education institutions can anchor aviation and aerotropolis development – not only in South Africa, but across the continent.
With Africa pushing toward SAATM implementation and AfCFTA integration, universities must produce the research, talent, and regulatory clarity required to sustain that momentum. The symposium proved that UNISA is ready to carry that responsibility.
Africa’s aviation future is unfolding. And it’s unfolding in the academy.
Prof Angelo Dube is a Professor of International Law, Acting Director of the School of Law at UNISA, and Chief Executive Officer at Flying Jurist, and founder of the Aviation Indaba. He writes here in his personal capacity.
