Nobel laureate proposes poverty tax on flights

Nobel prizewinner Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmentalist, urged African governments on Wednesday to place a tax on air travel to raise funds for alleviating poverty and improving health and education.

In her first move as chair of an advisory commission to the African Union (AU), Maathai said that US $1 billion could be raised every year by charging a $5 levy on flights within Africa, and $10 on intercontinental flights.

"We should not sit and wait for development, but we should actively pursue it," Maathai said at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s capital. Her proposal was unanimously endorsed by the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) – a new body whose decision to elect Maathai as its head was announced on Tuesday.

Maathai’s recommendation will be presented to AU leaders for adoption at their July summit in Libya.

According to the AU, Maathai's commission will help build strong partnerships between governments and all sectors of African civil soceity.

"Heads of state alone cannot create countries, cannot make countries strong alone. They need us. They are willing to listen to their people for a change," said the 2004 Nobel peace laureate.

"There is a big gap between the governors and the governed. This is a people's assembly, where the people of Africa can bring their voice to their leaders," she added.

As Maathai took her oath of office, the AU commission chairman, Alpha Oumar Konare, described her as a "great militant" who would provide "moral stature" in her new role.