Nigeria on path to aviation self-sufficiency — Keyamo

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has said Nigeria is taking steps toward achieving aviation self-sufficiency arsenic the continent’s aerial transport manufacture continues to expand.

He said the recently established Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM) would assistance code manpower shortages successful the aviation sector.

Speaking successful Abuja connected Friday astatine the unveiling of the institution, Keyamo said the university’s instauration was timely and aligned with the national government’s efforts to make section capableness and method expertise successful aviation.

“African aviation is the fastest-growing sector. It is going to beryllium the fastest-growing assemblage amongst each sectors successful Africa successful the adjacent fewer years. We are expected to turn truthful accelerated that Africa volition soon beryllium looking for professionals, pilots, aeronautical engineers, and aerial postulation controllers. We request to beryllium up of these dynamics. This could not person travel astatine a amended time,” Keyamo said.

He noted that the aviation manufacture is already facing a shortage of qualified professionals, particularly aerial postulation controllers, and called connected the absorption of the caller assemblage to prioritise grooming successful those areas.

“We are short-staffed successful definite areas successful aviation, and adjacent Zaria is struggling successful those peculiar areas. We are short-staffed successful presumption of aerial postulation controllers, skilled professionals that are precise hard to produce.

“We person had to callback retirees and widen their tenure to conscionable the need. So, we expect that you ore successful those areas wherever we are short-staffed,” helium said.

Founder of the university, Isaac Balami, said the instauration was established to lend to gathering the increasing request for aviation professionals successful Africa.

“We are preparing what took america 20 years to larn successful the manufacture and giving it to our children successful 4 to 5 years. Number 14 of our docket of tuition talks astir giving students competency successful integer simulation that qualifies them to enactment with planetary manufacturers,” helium said.

Balami said the aviation manufacture crossed Africa faces a widening skills gap, with an estimated 65,000 professionals needed successful the adjacent decade, adding that existing institutions successful Nigeria and different African countries nutrient lone a tiny fraction of that number.

“Aviation College Zaria is doing good but producing less than 500 apical aviators currently. Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco cannot conscionable adjacent 20 per cent of the demand,” helium said.

The Pioneer Vice-Chancellor of IBUAM, Prof. Paul Jemitola, said the assemblage aims to physique a caller procreation of aviation and absorption professionals equipped with applicable and enactment skills.

“Every pupil volition person the accidental to maestro piloting and enactment alongside their superior people of study. When you graduate, you volition gain your grade and besides a backstage pilot’s licence and planetary craft attraction certification aligned with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency standards,” helium said..

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the instauration volition fortify Nigeria’s aviation acquisition model and assistance make the method workforce required for the continent’s increasing aerial transport industry.

The station Nigeria connected way to aviation self-sufficiency — Keyamo appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.