Rector, NCAT,Capt. Abdulsalami Mohammed
The Rector, Nigeria College of Aviation Technology, NCAT Zaria and council member, African Association of Approved Aviation Training Organizations, AATOs, Captain Abdulsaami Mohammed wants Aviation Training Organizations, ATOs in the country to work together to promote standardization and improve aviation training in Nigeria.
At a meeting of the ATOs in Lagos, Captain Mohammed said the aim of the meeting was to set up a local chapter of AATO geared toward promoting cooperation, encourage the sharing of expertise/ resources amongst members and other stakeholders.
According to Captain Mohammed, Africa was mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, to set up AATO to coordinate aviation training in Africa in collaboration with ICAO AFI steering committee.
“This Association was set up and the first meeting was held in Abuja and Nigeria played a very big role in establishing this Association”.
The AATO council member explained that AATO had developed a roadmap which would be presented to the whole continent at the next Genera Assembly which would be in Accra in October.
” NCAT is a council member of AATO and we were mandated to set up a local chapter of this Association with the recognition that Nigeria has the highest number of aviation training organizations but we have not been very active in the continental level, so we felt there was the need to bring together all the approved training organizations here in Nigeria so that we can meet and introduce this African Association to them”.
The NCAT rector explained the benefits of being an AATO member to include; access to a network of approved Africa Aviation training organizations, access to standardized curriculum and training content and access to current market information reflecting accurate supply, demand and capacity in Africa.
“Pooling of instructors course material and training facilities, common acceptance and recognition of training and certificates among others”.
Functions of AATO is to develop policy and guidelines for aviation training organizations in Africa in order to facilitate their compliance with international and national standards and best practices in aviation training, develop and advocate positions on issues of interest for its members and aviation training in Africa.
ATOs representative at the event while commending the initiative of a local chapter called on the NCAA to introduce stringent measures in the registration of new ATOs and to beam its attention on government and private ATOs to bring to the barest the excessive competition to avoid what happened to the airline industry to happen to the ATOs.
The ATOs meeting ended with the nomination of individuals representing different ATOs to form a 7 man committee to deliberate on ways to achieve success in the formation of the AATO local chapter.
