Thank you, Deputy Secretary Graves. Good morning, everyone.

I was a commercial airline pilot for three decades. I’ve flown to and from the majestic continent of Africa many times.  Over my career, I’ve seen the aerospace industry grow and change quite a bit.  

But nothing quite like what we’re seeing today. We’re on the cusp of a new era in this industry. And commercial space flight is not the sole purview of the Western Hemisphere. 

I foresee a day when the headlines speak of joint U.S.-African partnerships to expand suborbital commercial space transportation in the form of crewed spaceplanes over both of our continents. 

The FAA stands ready to work with African nations to develop launch and reentry regulations, advise on the building and sustaining of spaceports, and on the expansion of GPS and Global Navigation Satellite Systems for safer and more efficient air navigation.

By establishing a common approach to regulations, and compatible forms of technology and procedures, we can eliminate duplication of work between our governments and foster an environment of growth for the global

The FAA is doing this with other nations. In December 2021, we signed a Declaration of Intent with Brazil. And in May of this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg signed a Declaration of Intent with the United Kingdom, taking the first steps towards streamlining the licensing of commercial space operations. We are working with both countries to sign full bilateral agreements in 2023, and we’re eager to do the same with African nations.

The FAA can be a valuable partner. We have safely licensed over 500 launches since 1989, and we have 14 licensed spaceports in the United States. 

Over the past few years, we’ve streamlined our regulations so we can ensure safety, while enabling the tremendous innovation we’re seeing by industry today.

We’re also developing technologies and procedures to efficiently manage airspace during space operations.

By working together, the United States and Africa can prepare for traditional suborbital launches, and perhaps one day, suborbital point-to-point travel of passengers and cargo.  

And space is just one of many areas where we can partner. Other exciting innovations like drones and electric air taxis have the potential to spread the benefits of aviation to more people in more places throughout the world. 

We’re eager and willing to work with African nations to achieve regulatory harmonization across all areas of the aerospace sector.

We’ve seen how drones are being used in African nations to deliver medicines and other important items to people. We need to exchange best practices with you, as we collectively strengthen our safety foundation for aerospace activity.

Thank you for inviting me today. The new aerospace era has begun, and we look forward to working more closely with you to seize the opportunities.