Wednesday, November 5, 2025 - Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called for urgent action to address capacity gaps in Africa’s Air Traffic Management systems, stressing the need for strategic investment in human capital to strengthen airspace safety across the continent.
Speaking at the 36th International Federation of Air Traffic
Controllers’ Associations Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting in Victoria
Falls, Zimbabwe, Keyamo said that Africa’s growing air traffic demands a more
skilled, motivated, and adequately supported workforce of air traffic
controllers to ensure safe and efficient operations.
The legal luminary stated this via a statement by his Media
aide, Tunde Moshiod, on Tuesday.
Delivering his keynote address on the theme “Securing the
Skies: Strengthening ATM Capacity through Strategic Recruitment, Training, and
Retention,” the minister warned that Africa’s air traffic complexity is rising
faster than its human resource capacity.
He said, “Across our region, we face rising complexity in
operations and higher expectations from the travelling public. To meet these
challenges, we must invest not only in technology but, even more importantly,
in people. It is the professionalism, alertness, and dedication of Air Traffic
Controllers that keep millions of passengers safe every single day.”
Keyamo reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to enhancing aviation
safety and human capacity development under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed
Hope Agenda.
He said the Federal Government, through the Nigerian
Airspace Management Agency, is modernising the country’s Communication,
Navigation, and Surveillance/Air Traffic Management systems, expanding training
programmes for controllers, and establishing initiatives to support mental
wellbeing and mentorship among aviation personnel.
Keyamo also highlighted Nigeria’s growing partnerships with
regional institutions, including BAGASOO, to accelerate Air Navigation Service
Provider certification, strengthen safety oversight, and promote safety culture
across the continent.
He said, “Aviation is a shared ecosystem. Its strength lies
in collaboration among states, regulators, ANSPs, and professional bodies like
IFATCA.
“Our skies know no borders; therefore, our success must also
be borderless and built on shared knowledge, shared responsibility, and shared
resolve,” Keyamo said.
Keyamo urged stakeholders to turn the conference discussions
into actionable strategies that would build a resilient, highly skilled, and
motivated workforce for the future of African aviation.
“May our deliberations here translate into real actions that
enhance capacity, strengthen cooperation, and secure a brighter future for
aviation in Africa and the Middle East,” he said.
The minister commended IFATCA for its commitment to
advancing professionalism among air traffic controllers and praised the
government of Zimbabwe, particularly the Minister of Transport and
Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona, for hosting the regional meeting.
According to the statement, the meeting brought together top
aviation officials from across Africa and the Middle East, including Ghana’s
Minister of Transport, Joseph Nikpe; Uganda’s Minister of Works and Transport,
Gen. Edward Wamala (Rtd.), who was represented by the Deputy DG, Uganda Civil
Aviation Authority, Ms Olive Lumonya, President of IFATCA, Ms Helena Sjöström
Falk, and Executive Vice President, IFATCA Africa & Middle East, Ahmad
Abba.
However, Air Traffic Controllers in Nigeria have raised the
alarm over the manpower gap among its practitioners.
President of Nigerian Air Traffic Controllers’ Association,
Edino Amos, who had been in the forefront of this call, appealed to the
government to improve the welfare of ATCs and also extend their retirement age
to 65 years.
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