Evaluating African Airports security screening systems’ alignment with international standards: unlocking expansion prospects in African aviation

Abstract

This study investigates the alignment of security screening systems in African airports with international standards. As the African aviation sector grows, ensuring security compliance is essential not only for safety but also for unlocking the continent’s aviation expansion potential. Employing a qualitative research approach, data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 airport officials, security personnel, regulators and aviation experts across selected airports in Southern, Eastern and Western Africa. Data saturation was achieved by the 13th interview, with subsequent interviews serving as confirmatory. The sample size, though modest, is consistent with specialised aviation security research and appropriate for the study's focus on hard-to-reach expert populations. The findings reveal that while some airports demonstrate progress through the adoption of modern screening technologies and international partnerships, widespread challenges persist. These include outdated infrastructure, limited financial resources, inadequate training, fragmented regulatory frameworks and inconsistent implementation of global security protocols. Thematic analysis of the data identified key barriers to compliance, including policy misalignment, technological limitations and deficiencies in human capacity. These findings corroborate and extend existing literature on African aviation security while revealing new insights into regional variations, the policy-practice gap and the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) as enablers of compliance. The study concludes that full alignment with international standards remains uneven, and highlights the need for coordinated regional efforts, public-private partnerships (PPPs) and continuous training to strengthen aviation security across the continent. Recommendations are provided to enhance regulatory harmonisation, modernise screening infrastructure and promote sustainable development in African aviation. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of aviation security challenges in Africa by situating empirical findings within existing theoretical and empirical frameworks and offers practical insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders committed to improving global aviation safety standards, in pursuit of a sustainable and internationally integrated African aviation industry.