Nigeria, South Africa sign landmark regulatory deal on aviation security, safety

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) have signed a landmark deal to achieve unified civil aviation regulation in Africa.

The two civil aviation authorities signed the agreement during the African Aviation Summit in Abuja on Thursday.

Supreme News reports that the deal will see Nigerian and South African aviation regulators share safety and security best practises with each other.

It will also streamline regulations to foster smooth flight arrangements between both countries.

The NCAA Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, signed on behalf of Nigeria, while Ms. Poppy Khoza, Director of SACAA, signed on behalf of South Africa.

Supreme News further reports that the ministers of both countries witnessed the signing ceremony.

Nuhu said the deal will enhance flight operations between the two countries to almost be like domestic flights.

He further said that the single regulatory regime in Africa at large would unlock opportunities in aviation to enhance the implementation of the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM) project.

He said SAATM was launched in January 2018 to give fresh impetus to the goal of liberalising air transport across Africa to fully implement the Yamoussoukro Decision.

SAATM, Musa said, is projected to create 508,750 direct jobs and have a 4.2 billion dollar impact on African GDP in the long term.

“We will remove all the barriers and obstacles to operations between both countries. Going forward, we hope other countries will join us to see the successful implementation of SAATM.

“This is the first step of a long journey,” he said.

Also speaking, Khoza said the step was a step in the right direction to strengthen the relationship between the two technical agencies.

According to her, the agreement will be of great assistance for the two countries and the African continent in terms of elevating safety and security postures.

She said there would be no thriving and sustainable aviation in Africa if safety and security were not prioritised.

“This is a technical cooperation agreement that is very technical in nature. We will be exchanging information on aviation safety and security in particular.

”The Minister of Nigeria has indicated that one of his plans is to ensure that he upholds the highest-level standards of aviation security.

“It is the same plan for my minister. Therefore, there are synergies between both ministers. So, we will be cooperating a lot. In fact, we are already cooperating,” she said.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, said he was highly pleased with the deal.

He expressed optimism that the two countries involved would benefit immensely in it.

“This is an exciting day for us. You can tick this off as one of my deliverables under my first plan. We need to learn from one of the countries in Africa that is ahead of us in safety and security standards.

“South Africa is doing 92 percent in terms of ICAO standards, and Nigeria is doing 70 percent. By cooperating with SA, we are sure to close that gap and even exceed it.

“We will close the gap as soon as possible” he enthused.

According to him, the relationship will be symbiotic in terms of guidance and assistance.