Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has reaffirmed the country’s position as Africa’s most promising aviation market, declaring that it is well-positioned to become the continent’s aviation hub.
Speaking during a televised interview on Sunday, Keyamo emphasized the need to attract foreign investment to enhance the country’s aviation infrastructure.
“Nigeria is the most viable country in Africa when it comes to aviation,” Keyamo said. “With the largest population, the highest traffic, and a strategic location, we are the most positioned nation to be a hub in Africa. It’s time to start opening up our market to investors who will help us achieve this goal.”
When asked why the government is bidding to host an airshow, despite the country’s infrastructure not yet meeting desired standards, Keyamo responded by stressing that the nation’s readiness to showcase its potential should not be hindered by current challenges. “Just because we haven’t fixed everything doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to advertise ourselves and attract the investment needed to make improvements,” he explained.
Keyamo further noted that the key to developing the necessary infrastructure lies in attracting private investors, as budgetary allocations alone are insufficient to fund the scale of development required. “The president has also established the Renewed Hope Fund, which will provide counterpart funding. But it will not cover the full cost of the major infrastructure projects we need,” he said. “What we need is to attract the right kind of investors.”
The Minister also pointed out that Nigeria has never hosted an airshow before, making this an important opportunity to display the country’s potential to global investors. “We have seen airshows around the world, and it’s time Nigeria showcased itself. An airshow allows us to open up the country for investors to come and display their wares,” Keyamo explained.
In response to growing concerns about security operatives harassing passengers at Nigerian airports, Keyamo assured the public that the Ministry of Aviation is actively addressing the issue. He revealed that the Ministry has raised the matter with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, expressing concerns about the conduct of some security personnel.
“We have complained to the National Security Adviser because we are concerned about the harassment of passengers at airports,” Keyamo said. “I see people tagging me on social media, but the harassment isn’t from aviation officials. It is from personnel of other agencies. We’ve already addressed this with the NSA, who is taking steps to address the issue.”
Keyamo also highlighted the NSA’s efforts to improve airport security, noting that the NSA has recently acquired about 1,000 body cameras for use by security agencies to ensure better monitoring of activities at the airports.
