Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reiterated that the aviation industry is key and central to the sustainable growth and development of all other sectors in the Nigerian economy.
He made this statement at the 2023 Aviation Management retreat held in Warri, Delta State.
Keyamo said, ‘’This retreat is apt considering the fact that one of the major goals of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Administration is to position the Nigerian aviation industry as a hub on the African continent and the world at large.”
He said it is his expectation that his 5- point priority agenda would be disaggregated and cascaded into actionable programmes and projects by all department and agencies under the purview of the ministry.
“Iur task in this tetreat is to brainstorm , deliberate and carry out a SWOT analysis of the aviation sector with a view to proffering practical solutions to attain the desired results.
“We need to be proactive and circumspect in our deliberations regarding where we are today as an industry, where we desire to be and most importantly, how to get there.
“There is no doubt that growth and development in the aviation sector should be private sector-driven to attract foreign direct investment. As policy makers, we have a responsibility to ensure that deployment of policies, programs and project are well articulated and in compliance with ICAO standard,” he said.
While describing as unacceptable the 70 percent scored by Nigeria in the 2023 ICAO Universal Oversight Audit Program as against the 75 percent benchmark set, Keyamo noted that the aviation sector is first and foremost a safety and security critical industry.
“We must subsequently enforce proper monitoring and evaluation to maintain these standards,” he said.
