Air aviation news – It was the 3rd American President, Thomas Jefferson, one of America’s founding fathers, reputed to have played a primary role in the drafting of the American Declaration of Independence, who told his colleagues after a crucial constitutional debate that for some time, he had watched the static drawing of a half sun at the back of a chair wondering whether it was “a rising or a setting sun. Today, I am convinced it is a rising sun”. Jefferson was speaking of America in the early years of its birth.
It was a statement of satisfaction and hope that a “Dream”, the American Dream would be achieved, based on the document of Declaration of Independence. This was in 1776. Jefferson had no doubt about what the future would be for his new nation. He was sure that his country would emerge from its IMAGO and fly. In September, 2023, precisely on 13th – 14th, the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority – CAA organised a 2-day Conference titled “Aviation Africa 2023”. The two-day international event featured both Conference and Exhibition. It was held at the highly upgraded Abuja International Conference Centre.
As I sat on my seat at the Conference, as I went through the Conference Programme, as I went through the fully occupied Exhibition Hall counting the number of high profile international Exhibitors and Sponsors from Airbus to Boeing and Embraer, all aircraft manufacturers of global brand from international airlines such as British Airways, Ethiopian Airline, KLM, Egypt Air, Qatar and Air Ghana as well as Domestic airlines such as Air Peace, Ibom Air, Arik, ValuJet, Aero and Allied Air; all of who attended the Conference; as I sat at the Conference with my colleagues listening to the Presentations, Thomas Jefferson’s observation of young America resonated through my mind like the unceasing sound of a pounding cataract. In an analogous reflection, I wondered whether our aviation industry was now taking a turn to an incline or simply put, whether the half sun of our aviation, like Jefferson’s sun, was now rising rather than setting or static. The Aviation Africa event, which was the 7th in its series, was holding in Nigeria for the first time after the maiden edition held in Dubai 2015, followed by Kigali, which hosted three times and once in Cairo and Addis Ababa respectively in 2018 and 2020. The 2023 Conference held in Abuja was rated as the best so far. Before 2017, no major or remarkable Aviation gathering of global reckoning was hosted by Nigeria. This was due to the low global rating of Nigeria in the Aviation Sector.
But by 2017, the country’s aviation profile and rating had risen to a high level in global rating to the extent that for the first time the International Civil Aviation Organization – ICAO held three World Conferences in Nigeria. These Conferences include ICAO World AviationForum (IWAF),in November, 2018 the first ever in Africa, followed by ICAO Symposium on Remotely Piloted Aircraft System – RPAS and the Montreal and Abuja Seventh Edition of the 2022 AFI Aviation Week. The ICAO global Conference was capped in December 2022 with the ICAO Conference on Air Services Negotiation (ICAN) hosted by the Ministry of Aviation, Abuja. The ICAN was attended by over 400 participants representing 63 countries during which 212 new international BASAs were concluded.
Attendance at IWAF was about 1000. All these Conferences had two things in common; they were all hosted by the Ministry of Aviation and all attendees and countries were members of ICAO, the Conference Convener. So, their attendance was almost given.
This is where the Aviation Africa 2023 Conference and Exhibition is remarkably different. Aviation Africa was not hosted by the government and is not an institution with membership like ICAO, IATA or AFCAC which would make attendance obligatory. For such a Conference and Exhibition that was fee paying, it required some conditions precedent for success. Some conditions include in the main, the following:
i.A secured environment and host country;
ii.Credibility of the hosting Organisation and its Personnel;
iii.Existence of market for Exhibitors;
iv.Quality of Resource Persons;
v.Acceptable minimum of Participants, local and international;
vi.Credibility of the Organisers;
vii.International Standard Venue and Facilities.
Taking the conditions listed, one can see that everything appear to have, by fate, existed at the point in time to guarantee the success of Aviation Africa.
The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority – CAA had no doubt about the highly improved security situation in our country. Capt. Musa Nuhu, the Director-General of the CAA with his wealth of experience and exposure in issues of safety and security in Aviation was no doubt convinced that the over 1,500 participants from about 75 countries, (the highest ever) since the year 2000, in Nigeria, who attended Aviation Africa 2023 were in a safe and a secure country. More importantly, the management of the Conference and Exhibition were so professionally handled to the extent that the Organisers and Participants could not hold back their commendation of the host and the facilities offered at the vastly revamped International Conference Centre, Abuja, the venue of the Conference.
The theme of the Event focussed on African and Global issues on Aviation Development and future.
Topics which were addressed by World-Class speakers, experts and professionals in various fields included the impact of climate change on Aviation, Leasing, SAATM/AfCFTA, MRO (Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul), Carbon Emission Reduction as well as challenges impeding air services liberalisation and Route Access. Such speakers included ICAO Life-time Ambassador to Nigeria’s Dr.BenardAliyu, who was the immediate past President of ICAO, Mr. Grema Wake of Ethiop Lease, who was a former CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, FunkeAdeyemi, the Executive Secretary of Africa Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) as well as Aircraft Manufacturers Representatives from Airbus, Boeing and Embraer, who were also Exhibitors. Also, were speakers from other parts of Africa, West, East and South Africa that had a Minister in attendance. Nigeria Domestic Operators like Allen Onyema of Air Peace, George Uriesi of Ibom Air and Edward Boyo of Overland Airways were very much at hand for Presentations and as Panellists and Discussants.
There were also Heads of Aviation Agencies – NIMET, NAMA, NCAT, FAAN, NSIB as well as Airline Operators and Airline Personnel from both Nigeria and Africa like TAG Angola, South African Airways, Africa World Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air and the newest, Ugandan Airlines were all there.
But the highlight of the Conference rated 82% and the best of all the seven so far held in terms of organisation, Facilitation and Attendance, was the demonstration of our Domestic Airlines that Nigeria is the future of Aviation in Africa. This demonstration was led by Air Peace whose Chairman – Allen Onyema signed over US$300million Agreement with Embraer for five firm orders for Embraer 175 and option of five more. Edward Boyo of Overland was taking delivery of first of his two orders of same aircraft type while Ibom Air was due for its two Airbus orders. These aircraft types, all brand new, are fit for regional operations and clearly demonstrates Nigeria’s readiness to become an arrowhead for the realisation of AFCAC. The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development – Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN) who breezed into the Conference and Exhibition could not hide his elation on the success of the event in his speech and inspection of Exhibitors’ stands. One thing was clear that it required Capt. Nuhu’s exposure and contacts from his years as Nigeria’s Representative at ICAO and Membership and Chairmanship of some of ICAO’s Subcommittee to pull out the success of Aviation Africa 2023, the kind of experience he drew on to put Nigeria Aviation on World Health Organisation (WHO) high-rating in the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
All these and the records of 1,503 attendees, 99 Exhibitors/Sponsors, 114 Airlines/Operators Representatives and 269 Airline Operators and Personnel, who attended as well as the 92% of attendees who indicated willingness to attend again, are no doubt the profoundly evidential pointers to the fact that like Jefferson’s “half sun”, Nigeria Aviation “half sun” is a rising rather than a setting one.
Finally, beyond aviation, the publicity and concomitant image boost to Nigeria as well as the revenue in both local and foreign currencies attracted to the Nigerian economy by Aviation Africa 2023 are invaluable.
Chris Aligbe Aviation Consultant.
source: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2023/11/aviation-africa-2023profoundly-evidential/
