President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to declare the first ever annual World Aviation Forum by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), open in Abuja, today.
The move is said to underscore Nigeria’s commitment, as well as showcase the country’s appreciation for being the first African country to host the event to be held outside the Organisation’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada.
President Muhammadu Buhari has declared he is under strong pressure to float a national airline for Nigeria.
ICAO’s President and Nigeria’s Bernard Aliyu, had during a courtesy visit to President yesterday in Abuja, presented a certificate of recognition to the School of Aviation, Zaria as a regional center of excellence; the certification of both Abuja and Lagos airports which have attained ICAO standards for the first time in history, and another certificate marking the attainment of the International Organisation for Standardization ISO 9001, 2015 by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency.
BusinessDay gathered that ICAO,s nomination of Nigeria for the event, also underscores Nigeria’s rising profile within the aviation world.
The hosting of the ICAO World Aviation Forum by the country, coming so soon after it hosted the ICAO Symposium on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) is a clear indication of the confidence the Buhari administration has elicited within the sector and an endorsement by the world body of its reform programmes for the nation’s aviation industry.
The third ICAO World Aviation Forum which is intended to explore the benefits of the aviation sector to social, economic development and prosperity of member states, is aimed at top-ranking government officials in charge of aviation, transport and infrastructure, finance, economy and tourism; and key industry and financial partners.
The forum is also expected to discuss, identify needs, and facilitate the funding and financing required to accelerate the implementation of international civil aviation standards and policies, as well as global plans for aviation, in support of the ICAO No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiave..
Among the objectives of the forum holding in Abuja would be the establishment and alignment of infrastructure programmes and plans that are consistent with the ICAO global strategic plans for aviation like the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) and the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP), and also to stimulate common and interoperable air transport systems leading to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
On the benefits of the Forum to Nigeria and, by extention, the African continent, Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika says it is expected to build on the outcomes of the two previous ICAO World Aviation Forums (IWAF/1 and IWAF/2) held in November 2015 and September 2016 respectively, and, in the spirit of the No Country Left Behind initiative, tackle the existing and future financing challenges facing aviation infrastructure and capacity development in member states, especially in Africa.
