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The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) launched the fuel project at a ceremony here, atttended by several African airline executives, Kenyan government officials and fuel suppliers.
"Africa has no alternative but to pull together. The current fuel crisis across the world resounds as waking calls for African nations, the writing is on the wall and the time to do it alone is definitely over," said Christian Folly-Kossi, the AFRAA Secretary-General.
Kenya Airways is leading the AFRAA fuel project committee which also includes several leading airlines in the African continent, facing their fight for survival.
The project team is working on a variety of issues limiting the effective supply of fuel to most African countries.
Folly-Kossi cited the fuel supply crisis in Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) as particularly acute as a result of the lack of an efficient and effective supply system.
AFRAA is trying to remove the main obstacles to the supply of fuel products to the main airports where its 40-member airlines fuel within the continent.
The fuel project aims at setting joint fueling facilities at major airports with in Africa, from where the continent's carriers would refuel.
The jet fuel would be sourced through joint tendering processes in order to give the airlines more bargaining power.
Experts say the project team is expected to study the fuel supply regulations within the African continent before the first joint tendering process commences.
Kenya, for instance, imports oil through a joint tendering process. The oil distributing companies in Kenya usually place their orders and one of the oil distributors is awarded the tender to purchase the country's crude oil, usually from Saudi Arabia.
"The escalating cost of fuel has affected all and sundry. A quick solution must be found and these must address policies on taxation of jet fuel," said Chris Kuto, the President of the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC).
AFRAA has warned that most African airlines risked being pushed out of the aviation business unless they quickly consolidate their businesses through joint mergers with bigger carriers while striving to join major international alliances.
Kenya Airways is among the first group of African airlines to seek the membership of the Skyteam, one of the world's leading airline alliances with nine of the leading players.
Folly-Kossi said many airlines were folding up as a result of the soaring oil costs.
"We have to resist our way into the business by revising our way of doing business through consolidation and joining alliance groupings and then move to joint projects like the fuel project, that is the way to go," he said.
He said the airlines would negotiate with suppliers, airport authorities and equipment suppliers to ease the cost of running the businesses.
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