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 as the continent’s air transport industry continues to expand.

He said the newly established Isaac Balami University of Aeronautics and Management (IBUAM) would help address manpower shortages in the aviation sector.

Speaking in Abuja on Friday at the unveiling of the institution, Keyamo said the university’s creation was timely and aligned with the federal government’s efforts to develop local capacity and technical expertise in aviation.

“African aviation is the fastest-growing sector. It is going to be the fastest-growing sector amongst all sectors in Africa in the next few years. We are expected to grow so fast that Africa will soon be looking for professionals, pilots, aeronautical engineers, and air traffic controllers. We need to be ahead of these dynamics. This could not have come at a better time,” Keyamo said.

He noted that the aviation industry is already facing a shortage of qualified professionals, especially air traffic controllers, and called on the management of the new university to prioritise training in those areas.

“We are short-staffed in certain areas in aviation, and even Zaria is struggling in those particular areas. We are short-staffed in terms of air traffic controllers, skilled professionals that are very difficult to produce.

“We have had to recall retirees and extend their tenure to meet the need. So, we expect that you concentrate in those areas where we are short-staffed,” he said.

Founder of the university, Isaac Balami, said the institution was established to contribute to meeting the growing demand for aviation professionals in Africa.

“We are preparing what took us 20 years to learn in the industry and giving it to our children in four to five years. Number 14 of our schedule of tuition talks about giving students competency in digital simulation that qualifies them to work with global manufacturers,” he said.

Balami said the aviation industry across Africa faces a widening skills gap, with an estimated 65,000 professionals needed in the next decade, adding that existing institutions in Nigeria and other African countries produce only a small fraction of that number.

“Aviation College Zaria is doing well but producing fewer than 500 top aviators currently. Ethiopia, South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco cannot meet even 20 per cent of the demand,” he said.

The Pioneer Vice-Chancellor of IBUAM, Prof. Paul Jemitola, said the university aims to build a new generation of aviation and management professionals equipped with practical and leadership skills.

“Every student will have the opportunity to master piloting and leadership alongside their primary course of study. When you graduate, you will earn your degree and also a private pilot’s licence and international aircraft maintenance certification aligned with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency standards,” he said..

According to the Vice-Chancellor, the institution will strengthen Nigeria’s aviation education framework and help develop the technical workforce required for the continent’s growing air transport industry.

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