Nigeria to host US$50billion Aerospace Show, Aviation Expo

According to the publication on Nigerian Flight Desk, Nigeria will be hosting its  first ever international Aerospace show, Airport Expo aimed at attracting $50b Investment into the country’s aviation industry come October this year.

The Executive Director of the International Aviation Management and Security (IAMS) Mr John Nwosu who disclosed this to aviation correspondents in Abuja said the event will bring together participants from all over the world adding that it was  intended to attract 50-billion-dollar worth of investment into Nigeria’s aviation industry through its international business forum.

Nwosu said that the potential in the country’s aviation sector was yet to be harnessed, adding that Nigeria controlled the largest aviation market in the Central and West African region.

`”The benefit of this programme for Nigeria is that it will attract investment into this country.

For example, the Airport Expo that was held in Dubai in 2013 generated over 20-billion-dollar investment, while this one will be done in five phases and we are expecting 50-billion-dollar investment”

According to him, the first international Aerospace Show, Airport Expo and Business Forum will be held in Lagos and Abuja in October.

He explained that the programme will enable the participants to collaborate and establish clear legislative frameworks, policy priorities, transparent governance systems and effective funding strategies for regional aviation growth.

He said while the Dubai event which was only about airports generated $20b, the coming one will comprise of conference, training, Aerospace Show, Airport Expo and International Business and will generate more.

”The event will bring together aviation professionals and stakeholders who will network, source their products requirements and create over 50 billion dollars’ worth of business possibilities.

“It also targets to chart a sustainable path and, brainstorm on preventive strategy for the aviation sector.”

Nwosu said that the programme was also aimed at solving the numerous problems confronting the aviation industry not only in Nigeria but also Africa and the globe as a whole.

He added that during the programme, cabinet ministers in charge of aviation from the participating countries would meet in plenary to rub minds on many issues bordering on the development of the industry.

According to him, the event is designed to shape tomorrow’s aviation and bring many countries into the new world order.

Source : Nigerian Flight Desk

Aviation workers back sector’s master plan

According to The Nation
Aviation workers endorsed yesterday the “sector‘s Master Plan and Implementation Road Map” by a team of consultants.
The implementation of the master plan, according to its proponents, has prospects to unlock the potential for foreign direct investments (FDIs), create jobs and bring about massive upgrade of airport infrastructure.
The workers, through their spokesman, Emmanuel Chukwu, chairman of Aviation Associates, spoke at a forum in Lagos.
Chukwu assured that aviation workers were committed to the implementation of the master plan, a key document expected to transform the sector.
An effective implementation of the master plan is expected to increase the contribution of the sector to over N110 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the next few years.
Besides increasing the sector’s contribution to the economy, the master plan is also expected to yield more revenue for the development of the sector.
The plan will also boost human capacity development, investment in infrastructure and welfare of workers.
At an “Aviation Workers’ Buy-In” into the master plan forum in Lagos, Aviation Minister Princess Stella Oduah said the plan has inherent benefits for aviation workers.
The minister stressed that the sector’s workers are expected to drive the implementation of the master plan.
At the forum were workers of Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigeria College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB), among others.
Ms Oduah said the implementation of the master plan had led to the transformation of 22 airports to world-class standards.
She said: “The master plan is a compass that guides our path to the true, real and sustainable development of the Aviation sector. It caters for the infrastructure, safety and security needs of the sector.
“It has the potential to attract the much-needed foreign direct investments into the sector to help grow the economy. It also provides the surest path to the self-sustainability of the sector. It will ultimately lead to better conditions and standard of living for workers.

“Already, through the guided implementation of the master plan, we have rehabilitated and remodelled 22 airports.
“We shall have more revenue to contribute to the federal coffers and retain a reasonable percentage for our welfare and well-being.
“With more investment and more money , we will initiate schemes to take care of workers’ holidays, improve access to medicare, enhanced salary and allowances, create greater access to local and international capacity building and have a improve conditions for the the average worker.
“…The foregoing is a snippet of the huge promise which the master plan holds for the sector, for the nation and for our individual and collective interests.
“There is no reason an aviation worker cannot have the same standard of living as his counterparts in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) or other ‘glamorous’ Federal Government corporations!
“The difference lies in the choice or choices we make, starting from this moment. Our destiny is in our hands as our fortunes are; as Siamese twins, intrinsically tied to the fortunes of the sector. So, why don’t we take a decision today to improve the sector to guarantee a higher standard of living for ourselves?”
Oduah added: “It makes adequate provision for a programmed development of critical infrastructure in the industry, caters to its safety and security needs as well as welfare and capacity needs of staff.
“It has potential to attract direct foreign investments and help grow the economy.
“Above all, the master plan provides the path to self-sustainability, leading to better conditions for workers.”
The minister also dwelt on challenges the sector might face in implementing the master plan.
She said: “Needless to say that in the course of our intervention efforts to reposition the sector, we may have stepped on some toes. Obviously, our modest effort to have a paradigm shift in the way the sector was managed has unsettled persons who have ever since vowed to distract us from our objectives. But we have a message for them: we refuse to be intimidated, distracted or derailed.
“Let me reassure you that as co-drivers on the transformation train, we would not lose sight of our destination. With you (stakeholders) on our side, we are convinced that those who desire to drag us back to the sordid past will not have their way.”

Source: The Nation