Yemisi Izuora
International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council President, Dr. Bernard Olumiyiwa Aliu, has urged Nigeria and Africa to address its aviation infrastructure gaps, given current and high levels of awareness of how air connectivity has become such a unique and indispensable catalyst for socio-economic growth on this continent.
The ICAO president spoke at the recently concluded ICAO 2019 Aviation Infrastructure for Africa Gap Analysis Workshop in Abuja, Nigeria.
He stated that the goal of the Abuja workshop was to help address the needs of African States by defining a practical and agreed methodology and approach to aviation infrastructure gap analyses.
This, he said, could then serve as a key reference for African States seeking to develop regional and national aviation infrastructure programmes and master plans, all fully in line with current forecast traffic growth and the related targets defined in ICAO’s Global plans.
Though African aviation already supports almost seven million jobs and $72.5 billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in terms of infrastructure requirements to support future capacity, aviation in Africa and other regions faces some serious constraints due to inadequate airport capacity, and air traffic management technologies as well as a dearth of aviation personnel.
Not a few decried the dearth of aviation infrastructure in Nigeria with the deficit estimated to be about $30 billion according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Nigeria has at least 26 airports scattered across the country out of which those in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Kano and Kaduna are considered to be viable, operating 24 hours. Others, without the lightning facilities, are sunset airports; already closed to operations by 6pm.
The implication is that active duration is reduced to about eight hours with attendant under-utilised aircraft that cost both the airlines and the sector a lot of revenue.
The Federal Government has, for the past four years, made infrastructure provision one of its cardinal objectives in the aviation sector with several millions of dollars pumped into navigational facilities at many of the nation’s airports.
The upgrade and commissioning of new airport terminal were done by President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja and Port-Harcourt while other aerodromes have received good attention also.
ICAO long-term traffic forecasts presently indicate that passenger and freight traffic for the African region are expected to grow by 4.3 per cent and 3.8 per cent annually through 2035.
Currently accounting for four per cent of global air transport services, Africa presents the highest potential for growth out of all of ICAO’s global regions.
“The launch last year of the African Union’s Single Market demonstrated Africa’s unity and agreement of the fact that aviation connectivity’s socio-economic benefits are real, sustainable, and worthy of the attention and commitments of African Governments,” Aliu insists.
“But rapidly-expanding air traffic and enhanced air connectivity can only be sustained with continued investment and development for aviation infrastructure, capacity and technology, supported by a regulatory framework, which is ICAO compliant and therefore harmonized with other States and Regions.”
The goal of the Abuja workshop is to help address the needs of African States by defining a practical and agreed methodology and approach to aviation infrastructure gap analyses.
This could then serve as a key reference for African States seeking to develop regional and national aviation infrastructure programmes and master plans, all fully in line with current forecast traffic growth and the related targets defined in ICAO’s Global plans.
ICAO’s long-term traffic forecasts presently indicate that passenger and freight traffic for the African region are expected to grow by 4.3 per cent and 3.8 per cent annually through 2035.
Currently accounting for four per cent of global air transport services, Africa presents the highest potential for growth out of all of ICAO’s global regions.
“All investments in aviation infrastructure development and modernization on this continent must be directed to well-managed projects featuring solid business cases and due levels of accountability, transparency and quality assurance,” Aliu stated.
“The launch last year of the African Union’s Single Market demonstrated Africa’s unity and agreement of the fact that aviation connectivity’s socio-economic benefits are real, sustainable, and worthy of the attention and commitments of African Governments.