Drone technology: Experts deliberate on opportunities at international conference

Experts in the aviation industry brainstormed on Tuesday on how drone technology has been opening multidimensional opportunities in both aviation and non-aviation sectors.

The experts spoke at the opening of the Fourth International Drone Technology Conference and Expo in Lagos.

The three-day conference is tagged ‘Drone Tecx 2024’.

Mr. Fortune Idu, Chairman of Dronetecx and Convener of the conference, said in his keynote address that the emergence of the technology offered many jobs and enterprise opportunities in the aviation sector.

According to Idu, Dronetecx has promoted drone technology advancement in Nigeria and throughout Africa, engaging in various levels of subtle advocacy to resolve the development impasse in the new sector.

“We are pleased to report the increasing speed of progress under the present Nigerian government, which is committed to technological advancement and making processes easier and more seamless.

“When NCAA Part 21 for RPAS operation was released last year, we predicted a surge into the sector.

“I wish to note that this has eventually happened, and the drone industry’s growth has increased by almost 40 percent since then.

“This requires urgent vertical control and comprehensive data or monitoring methodologies, which are still in their infancy,” he said.

According to him, most players are still locked in their closets.

He said that it might be alarming to know that research was being carried out in silos for an industry that needed integration.

“We have also read about establishing drone manufacturing plants in some parts of Nigeria.

“Though this is a welcome development, I must warn that no technological development can make a market successful in isolation, and clandestine operations are anti-open enterprises.

“Those with anything to offer in UAS development should come out, showcase, and share their ideas with the public.

“That is how the industry can grow and can be monitored for compliance with safety, security, and trade regulations for the good of all,” he said.

Idu further said that there was more to drones than flying for recreation and visual line-of-sight operations.

“The future of the sector is yet to be imagined.

“It is growing at an astronomical rate and will offer the next form of air transportation, which will be safer and more available.

“It is the solution for Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). In the next 10 years, drones will begin to solve the problem of urban vehicular traffic congestion by taking people to the sky as taxis.

“ICAO is doing all it can to make this happen sooner than you think.

“All nations are expected to begin creating national development solutions and road maps for the future of drones,” he said.

The chairman said that Nigeria must begin with a national dialogue for a roadmap for UAS advancement.

He cautioned that current regulations would not take strong hold of such a fast-moving industry if no national plan and policy framework would create ambition for how the nation would key into global development.

He urged the Federal Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development to begin the process.

On building competence through pilot licencing, Mrs. Collette Onyeulo-Nwulu of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said that unmanned aviation brought many unique opportunities.

She listed the opportunities to include transporting cargo, delivering medical supplies (lifesaving), monitoring wild life, and disaster management, among others.

According to her, with the evolving technologies supporting VAS, there will be a safe, secure, and efficient integration of unmanned traffic management into air traffic management.

She also highlighted the importance of competent licenced drone pilots and the safety risks of unlicensed drone operation, among other issues.

On his part, Capt. Olusina Akinsete of the NCAA said that drone technology had come to stay, but there was a need for adequate regulations as people used the technology differently.

Supreme News reports that the event had in attendance industry players, directors of agencies, and students, among others.