….laments dearth of technical manpower
Captain Musa Nuhu, Director General, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has promised to support initiatives that will encourage and give proper mentorship to the young people to take up career in aviation.
This is just as Capt. Nuhu says, currently, the industry needs adequate, competent, knowledgeable and experienced workforce.
The NCAA boss who made the promise at the 5th Explore Aviation Career Conference at the NCAA annex, MMIA, Lagos, while applauding the MamaJ Aviation Consult Limited, organizer of the conference said, the conference serves as a starting point in the process of identifying and training of young aviation professionals that will ultimately operate and manage the various sectors of the industry.
“This is a non profit career initiative, this initiative deserves the support of all industry stakeholders and beyond. The NCAA would fully support this endeavor and as the DG NCAA and also in my personal capacity would fully support this very important initiative”.
“This 5th explore aviation career conference with the theme: Harnessing the potential of the next generation of aviation professionals could not have come at a better time, the sustainability of the Industry depends on a large extent on the availability of adequate, competent, knowledgeable, experienced workforce”.
Capt. Nuhu pointed out that, the aviation sector in Nigeria has experienced growth since the restart, as existing airlines are expanding, increasing their fleet, expanding their routes while many airlines are in different stages of certification.
To this end, he said, the industry has expanded the scope of the oversight activities of the NCAA which is the regulatory body and increase the workload of the personnel and thus, “the regulatory body and the industry in general is suffering from lack of adequate specialized aviation professionals especially in the technical areas, it is important to know this is not peculiar to Nigeria but a global one especially with our inspectors in flight operations department”.
Convener of the Conference, Mamaj Consult Limited, Ms. Joy Ogbebo in her opening remarks said, there is no better time than now to start investing in the next generation of Aviation professionals by harnessing the potentials of the next generation, adding that,this will only happen if investments are made in the youth.
“The returns on investment in young people can be enormous”.
She added, “Research has shown that the world today is home to 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 – and the youth population is growing fastest in developing countries. With young people making up about 60 per cent of Africa’s population, they form a critical mass that can transform the growth and destiny of the continent”.
“We need to start investing sufficiently in the future of the next generation of this great industry”.
While appreciating the NCAA DG, Capt. Nuhu for physically present to encourage the participants made up of young people, Joy emphasized the need for all stakeholders to play their part in not only educating them to see aviation as a fulfilling and rewarding career but also look the way of giving of scholarships to those who want to take up career in the industry.
“We all have a role to play. I have a role to play. I am doing that with this platform. The Government has a role to play, the Airlines and private sector participation is required.
“In an emerging world, the need for knowledge sharing and information cannot be over emphasized. Amazing Careers Opportunities awaits you young minds in the Aviation and Aerospace industry”.
High points of the conference was career talks by two seasoned female pilots, Capt. Bolaji Agbelusi and Mrs Atinuke Stanley-Pepple. Four of the participants also won scholarships for training in travel and tourism, ticketing and reservation facilitated by Aeroport College of Aviation and Travel Management
