Abuja  - Africa has the highest rate of air accidents in the world, Roberto Kobeh, President of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), said in Abuja Wednesday.

However, Kobeh, who made the declaration when he visited Nigeria's President Umaru Yar'Adua, commended the current reforms in the Nigerian aviation sector.

He said that the result of the ICAO's last audit of Nigeria's aviation industry last October was satisfactory and added that the ICAO would work with Nigeria to improve air safety on the continent.

Yar'Adua said that Nigeria has made efforts to ensure airport security and air safety.

An aircraft that went missing in Nigeria on March 15 with its three crew members has yet to be found. That came months after the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority celebrated an accident-free year in 2007.

Before then, Nigeria's indigenous airlines had three major air crashes between 2005 and 2006 which killed over 300 people. (dpa)