Following the successes of the maiden edition of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) National Aviation Conference (FNAC) in 2022, stakeholders are billed to converge in Abuja between May 15 and18 for another round of talks and to chart a fresh road map for the country’s aviation industry. SULEIMAN IDRIS takes a look ahead.
The Nigerian aviation industry has gained significant momentum in the last one year following the outcome of robust discourses by stakeholders at the maiden edition of the aviation sector prime discussion forum, the FAAN National Aviation Conference held at the International Conference Centre in Abuja in 2022.
Priority projects
Stakeholders affirmed that the outcome of the forum served as the impetus that has seen significant projects undertaken, with many completed while others are either ongoing or in the pipelines having drawn a list of priority projects that are germane to the growth and development of the sector from the four days brainstorming sessions held in June last year.
Three milestones achieved after FAAN gathered titans from different segment of the aviation industry and collated their perspectives include the much anticipated installation of the Airfield Lighting on the runway of the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammad Airport in Lagos, the 2.7 kilometer Runway 18L/36R, the absence of which have prevented aircraft from taking to the sky from the both the MMA2 and the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) after sunset close to a decade and half as well as the auxiliary taxiway bravo that support aircraft movements beside the runway, something that delighted airline operators.
Aviacargo roadmap committee
Another laudable outcome of the 2022 FNAC that got the buy-in of many and which is receiving tremendous attention is the development of the aviacargo businesses for which FAAN MD, Captain Hamisu Yadudu set up an Aviacargo Roadmap Committee. Just last week the team made up of seasoned professionals presented the 3rd monthly interim report for the month of April to the FAAN management having toured cargo facilities at prime airports in the country. The coordinator Mr. Ikechi Uko told journalists that the aim is to make Nigeria the number one hub for Aviacargo businesses in Africa as the country currently holds the 5th position far behind Kenya, which leads the chart on the continent having made notable recommendations on how Nigeria can achieve the feat.
Perhaps the most delightsome result of the conference was the advocacy for a new industry bill that will rejuvenate and expand the activities of agencies in the sector and grant them more powers to expand their scope of operations, regulations and sanctioning capacities as the case may be. President Muhammadu Buhari did hearken to the voices by signing into law the Aviation Parastatals Bill to the delight of players in the industry.
More developmental strides
With the 2023 edition taking place soon, stakeholders are upbeat that more developmental strides are just around the corner for the industry judging from topical issues slated for discussions and deliberations at the forum in the FCT, more especially with a new administration also coming in by the end of May that will most likely look at inputs generated from the discourses and use them as its agenda for the growth and development of sector.
According to the agency, the 2023 gathering will no doubt witness a larger participation compared to the over 6000 physical and virtual guests it hosted last year. It said experts have been lined up to elucidate on the gains of the formers and to deliberate on how to chart new courses for further industry growth.
With the theme: “Sustainability of Aviation Industry in Nigeria”, the city of Abuja will play host to players in the upstream and downstream sector of aviation and its associated industry in the country as well as investors from within and across the globe who are looking at exploring the huge investment opportunities in Nigeria.
Other topics that will stimulate discussion organisers explained include sub titles like the Regulators’, Economic and Airport Operators’ Perspective of the theme. Others are The Aviation Workers’ Perspective, ‘Repositioning Cargo Operations through Development of Agriculture and Natural Resources in Nigeria’, ‘Mitigating the Impact of Brain-drain in the Aviation Industry in Nigeria’, ‘Aviation Facilities and Equipment Leasing and Financing with The Aviation Industry as a stimulant for Economic Development’ among the others.
An investment forum
The country’s airport management authority added that as envisioned, the gathering represent an investment forum that will help it gather inputs from experts and help identify investment potentials across airports and other areas under its control in Nigeria and also hear from investors on how to improve on gains already made and ways to stamp out impediments to attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the industry and Nigeria.
Panelists and discussants will share knowledge and equally provide insights on surmounting hitherto hiccups identified as drawbacks to the sustainability of growth recorded in the sector in the last few years.
Need for collaboration
FAAN expressed the view that with more airports being built by state governments, there is the need for both the states and the agency to collaborate with investors in order to maximise the new aerodrome by way of drawing investment into the state using the airports in those locations.
Just as states are expected to take advantage of the three days conference to showcase the tourism and economic potentials in their locations, FAAN said both cooperate bodies and organisations will also find it handy to network and interface with a view to taking advantages of its vast investment potentials in the non aeronautical sector such as tourism, land development, advertisement and the lots across the vast lands where its airports are located in Nigeria.
Future of Nigeria’s aviation
The conference will no doubt witness a better version according to its organisers as it represents the platform where the future of Nigeria aviation will be ironed out, especially as it affects the industry’s growth, safety and security, constant changes and the investments needed to sustain its development.
An upbeat Managing Director of FAAN, Capt Yadudu said “It is from FAAN to all the agencies, airport stakeholders, passengers, organisations, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), the media, labour unions, ACI, ICAO, embassies, and state governments across Nigerians and other interested organisations.
He said, “There will be lectures and presentations by the industry stakeholders on their key concerns. FAAN was trying to develop topics for the participants, but we agreed later that participants should present papers on critical issues they want to bring to the industry. This included all the aviation agencies. Also, the airlines will present papers on their most critical areas of concern. The event will be hosted annually and it will be a major event for FAAN. The major substance is to promote collaboration and cooperation toward the development of the industry and all stakeholders.”
According to the FAAN helmsmen, “It is a Nigerian event and it is for Nigerian aviation. Things we might discuss may not be outside Nigeria. So, we will look at ourselves and discuss issues as they affect us. Nigerian experts will have much more at stake than foreign experts. So, that is why we are making it a Nigerian aviation industry issue.”
