The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing flight safety through participation in a regional initiative aimed at strengthening meteorological services and air navigation oversight.
The initiative, known as the Cooperative Development of Aeronautical Meteorology in the Africa-Indian Ocean Region (CODEVMET AFI), focuses on improving capacity, implementing safety monitoring systems, and ensuring compliance with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
Speaking at the project’s steering committee meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, NCAA Director-General, Chris Najomo, represented by Godwin Balang, Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, said the programme is vital to boosting flight safety and operational efficiency across the African and Indian Ocean region.
He noted that CODEVMET AFI was established to close long-standing gaps in meteorological services identified by an ICAO assessment. Nigeria formally joined the initiative in February 2017 as one of nine African founding member countries after the review exposed deficiencies in air navigation systems across the region.
According to Balang, a 2020 ICAO evaluation confirmed that the programme remains key to addressing regional priorities such as operational integration, safety oversight, and capacity building — all of which align with the Global Air Navigation Plan.
Last November, the Agency for the Safety of Air Navigation in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), representing 18 African countries, adopted a resolution to cover member states’ annual contributions to the project — a move seen as reinforcing Africa’s collective commitment to aviation safety.
The three-day steering committee meeting also reviewed the programme’s achievements, discussed implementation challenges, and explored strategies for stronger collaboration among African states, with representatives from Togo, Kenya, Senegal, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania in attendance.