Ailing infrastructure in the aviation sector may soon be rehabilitated as the World Bank has approved an International Development Association (IDA) credit of N5.87 billion ($46.65 million) for Nigeria under the West and Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Security project.
The approval announced at the weekend in Washington, United States (U.S.) is aimed at creating a safe and secure environment for air transport in West and Central Africa, which will enable African airlines to competitively access regional and worldwide markets.
The Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr. Harold Demuren, who confirmed the development to reporters at the weekend said Nigeria eventually qualified for the fund which would go a long way to assist in the infrastructural development of the sector.
The World Bank task team leader of the project, Pierre Pozzo di Borgo said: "In Nigeria like in the rest of the West/Central Africa, Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) are the guardians of aviation safety and security without which the sector cannot achieve sustainable growth".
According to him, "by joining the West and Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Security programme, Nigeria is re-affirming its commitment to granting its Civil Aviation Authority with the necessary administrative and financial autonomy to fulfill its regulatory and oversight role in a rapidly expanding sector of its economy."
The first of the programme was approved by the global financial institution's board in April 2006 for activities in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea and Mali.
At the request of the Nigerian government, the World Bank initiated the second phase which will help the country address serious lapses in aviation security and safety following the three plane crashes in 2005 and 2006.
The West and Central Africa Air Transport Safety and Security programme will improve the NCAA's compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) safety and security standards as well as enhance Nigeria's main international airports' compliance with ICAO's security standards.
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the NCAA, and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT), Zaria, are the agencies that will benefit from the project financing to address aviation safety and security issues in the country.
The project activities will focus on an international study of each aviation agency, aircraft and aircrew re-certification exercise, Port-Harcourt and Abuja airports' operational perimeter fences and patrol routes construction and rehabilitation. It will also cover the installation of wind shear detection systems for Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano airports.
Wind shear is the sudden change in wind direction, and has been attributed to the crash of Sosoliso plane crash at Port Harcourt in 2005.
The Guardian had in July 2007, exclusively reported that the World Bank was processing Nigeria's application for a loan for the aviation sector.
Demuren, the FAAN's Director of Finance, Mr. John Onifade, and some top officials of the Ministry of Finance had travelled to the U.S. to perfect the pact.
A breakdown of the loan facility shows that the FAAN got the highest amount of $13.06 million, followed by the NCAA, which received $9.3 million.
The NCAT received $8.7 million, while the NAMA got $7.99 million.
Estimated implementation period of the projects, according to a source in the aviation industry, is between this year and June 2011.
FAAN is expected to spend about $1.3 million on construction of crisis management centres in Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port-Harcourt airports.
Building of an aircraft remote parking in the event of crisis in the four international airports is to cost $450,000, while $1.10 million is to be spent on buying of five x-ray machines for freight in the four airports.
Also, 10 fire trucks for the four airports at a cost of $4.70 million will be bought while $1.26 million will be spent on x-ray machines for passenger luggage in Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano.
Electronic badge identification system for airport personnel in Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano is included in the project at a cost of $700,000.
Wole Shadare, Aviation Reporter
Guardian
8 October 2007
