LAGOS— Mr. Festus Keyamo, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, has said that the aviation industry in Nigeria was key to the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCTA) initiative, established by the African Union (AU).
The initiative aimed to create a single market for goods and services across the African continent and intended to reduce tariffs, simplify customs procedures and eliminate non-tariff barriers to facilitate trade and investment within the continent.
Speaking at the 14th edition of the Nigeria Aviation (NIGAV) Awards held at the Murtala Muhammed Airport (MMA), Lagos, over the weekend with the theme “Foundation for Accelerated Aviation Growth’ (FAAG),” Keyamo said that Nigeria with its population and geographical positioning was expected to play a key role in the initiative.
Represented at the occasion by Capt. Chris Najomo, the Director-General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Keyamo said that the current administration of President Bola Tinubu understood and appreciated the importance of this sector in fast-tracking development.
According to him, the government has begun to empower the industry by investing heavily in infrastructure to give it a safe backbone to operate and encouraging public-private partnerships.
Keyamo expressed that upon assumption of office in 2023, he created an agenda that his administration would follow and mandated the heads of the agencies to deliver this collective aspiration of making Nigerian air transport a preferred safe mode.
He declared that the government was vigorously pushing this agenda by initiating a fact-based planning programme that would help the industry to succeed sustainably and guarantee a return on investment.
He hoped that the industry would record improved performance in 2025, record increased stability, and boost travel confidence and industry growth to earn the NIGAV award accolade.
He, however, said that this aspiration would require collective effort and commitment and appealed to every stakeholder and professional to join hands with the government to deliver a prosperous sector in line with the renewed hope agenda of Tinubu.
He added, “This administration believes that industry growth and sustainability are anchored on the excellent performance of every team member of the sector, and we shall encourage the promotion of excellence by strengthening our regulation and oversight of the industry by giving the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) the best support the industry has ever seen.
“There is also an ongoing repositioning of the airport sub-sector to be more efficient and to serve as a strong bedrock for industry stability. All the agencies under my ministry are recalibrating to the development trend for prudent management and service delivery.”
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT
