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Facilitating N40 billion intervention I’ll aid AIS automation, navaids upgrade, others, says Ngerem

…Lauds Minister giant strides

 

A former President of the Aeronautical Information Management Association of Nigeria (AIMAN) William Ngerem has lauded the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr. Festus Keyamo for facilitating the approval of a N40 billion intervention fund for the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) for the completion of  Aeronautical Information System (AIS) automation, upgrading of navigational aids, surveillance and communication facilities.

Festus Keyamo

Ngerem made the commendation in his address to mark the 2024 World AIS Day. He appealed to the Minister and the Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Engr Umar Farouk to sustain the unprecedented and renewed commitment to bring AIS Automation to completion, hinting that it would enhance air-to-ground communication as well as attract other benefits to the Nigerian airspace.

In what appears to be all motion without movement, the AIS automation had taken forever to be completed years after the project was implemented by other poorest West African countries.

Nigeria has over the years remained stagnant with the automation of AIS. While Nigeria has remained stuck in the same position, many have or are moving towards Aeronautical Information Management (AIM).

The objective of the AIS is to ensure the flow of information necessary for the safety, regularity and efficiency of international air navigation. When completed, it will enhance air-to-ground and ground-to-ground information and boost interconnectivity between aircraft and air traffic controllers.

The non-automation of the AIS has made it very difficult for the adoption and usage of e-flight planning and e-reception of raw data.

The NAMA MD, Farouk in a recent interview with Aviation Metric was worried about the slow pace of the AIS, lamenting that the programme had been ongoing for more than nine years, stating that funding had slowed down the actualisation of the project.

According to him, “The Minister of Aviation has come to the rescue of the agency. As I speak to you, they have gone back to work because they have been financed and we are hopeful all things will be equal, in the next quarter, this nine-year, ten-year programme will see the light of day and come to fruition. All things being equal, we should complete that project in the third quarter of this year”

In a related development, Ngerem also appealed to the Federal Government to review its policy on 50% automatic deduction at source from internally generated revenue of Federal Government agencies and ensure that NAMA is exempt from it “due to the critical role the agency plays in the sector, stressing that the safety of air travel should be given priority over economic considerations.

In his remarks, Farouk disclosed that the agency was on the verge of flagging off the AIS automation, having attained about 90% completion of the project. He affirmed that the agency was “leaving no stone unturned in its drive to commission this laudable project given that the integration of AIS Automation into the operations of NAMA would boost our revenue generation profile.

“We know that digitalization is key to development. We know that AIS Automation will bring about Geographic Information System (GIS) which will guide and enhance our operations. It will also digitalize NOTAM (Notice To Airmen) systems. It will help to automate weather observing systems as well. It will provide pilots with accurate data for operations. It will also help to collaborate in the decision-making system, so, there is no going back on Automation,” Farouk said.

The NAMA MD who was represented by the agency’s Director of Legal Services and Company Secretary, Isemiuhonmon Rita Egbadon stated that given the centrality of AIS Automation to the entire gamut of operations of the agency, several categories of AIS staff had either been trained or were presently undergoing training on automation to ensure that the imminent takeoff is seamless.

The 2024 World AIS Day celebration which took place in Lagos also featured the election of new executives to pilot the affairs of the association for the next three years. In the said election, Dr Audu Ibrahim was elected AIMAN President along with other executive members.

Ngerem

Celebrated annually and globally on  May 15th as “World AIS/AIM Day, this year’s event with the theme: Efficient Data Management in an Automated Environment was celebrated at all AIS stations in Nigeria.

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