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Tag: Hadi Sirika

  • Buhari inspects new terminal building at Abuja airport

    … Operation to commence by October – FAAN

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday inspected the level of work done at the new  terminal building at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

    The building being constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation  (CCECC) is expected to the completed by August, it was learnt.

    The President was taken on a tour of the facilities by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.

    President Buhari, who dressed in blue agbada and a matching cap inspected the building in company of some of his cabinet members after commissioning the FCT light rail project.

    The President who rode to the airport on the newly commisioned train left the airport by 12:13pm in a helicopter marked NAF-541.

    Amongst those who accompanied him were; The Secretary General of Federation, Boss Mustapha, Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole,  Minister of Interior, Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udoma and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

    On the impact of the rail on the aviation sector, the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika said: “It will make things easy and it will be seamless. People will come from the light rail and straight into the aircraft and vice versa and it will make transportation more efficient and that is the whole essence of transportation by air.

    “It will also allow people to connect to their businesses and work places in much faster time than before.

    Read Also: FAAN goes for modern scanners to boost security at airports

    “It will reduce the pressure on our roads, ease traffic congestion on all the arteries that leads to airports around the world. So Abuja would be a classical example of multi-modern integration and transportation which eases things and makes them better.”

    On the date the project would be completed, the Managing Director of FAAN, Saleh Dunoma said: “We are pressing the contractor to finish in August so that we can start operations in October and all the stakeholders are working together to ensure this.”

    On some of the challenges experienced by the contractors, he said: “On the water and power supply, we have started the process of connecting the power system. During the last visit by the honourable Minister of the FCT, he instructed that the airport should be connected to the city main water supply system.

    “On power, government has approved for an independent power supply for the airport. So all these works are coming on and by October, they will all be functional and that is when we will start using the terminal building.”

    Dunoma also allayed doubts that the relocation of control tower would affect the commencement date.

    He said: “The relocation of control tower and fire station has nothing to do with the terminal building but those issues are going to be handled in the next stage of the items of work that we need to carry out but that will not stop us from using the terminal building.”

    He expressed satisfaction with the quality of work done, adding that the train station would be linked to the existing terminal for seamless movement of passengers.

    Dunoma who said Abuja and Port Harcourt airports terminal buildings are on the same level said special focus was given to Abuja because of the volume of traffic in Abuja.

    “You can see there is congestion here and there and if we must ease up operation, we must complete this project

    “We are also working hard to put old facilities in order so that by the time we start operations here everything would be renewed.”

  • Sirika confirms date for national airline

    The proposed national airline for Nigeria would be unveiled before the end of the year, the Minister of State for Aviation Sen. Hadi Sirika has confirmed.

    Sirika, a former pilot, gave the assurance while receiving the Outline Business Case Certificate of Compliance for the establishment of the airline from Mr Chidi Izuwah, the Director General, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

    The Minister said that the presentation of the Certificate was a testament on how far the project had gone.

    The proposed airline will gulp $8.8million preliminary cost and $300 million as take-off cost.

    The Nigerian government is not fully funding the airline as it has adopted midwifing it via the option of a Public Private partnership, to deliver a national carrier that would stand the test of time and be world class in operation and management.

    According to Sirika, Nigeria will receive the first set of five airplanes for the airliner on 19 December.

    The airline will make profit in three years after operations, he said.

    “We will make the investments and follow the business plan through private sector management.

    “We intend to get a 30 aircraft market in five years. But we will begin with five aircraft on the day of lunch. It was not clear whether an order has been made for the aircraft, but the minister in May met a team from Boeing in Abuja.

    “At Farnborough International Public Airshow coming July 18, 2018 in London, we will unveil the name, logo, colour scheme, the structure and the type of airplane about the national carrier.

    “We will also place the order for the aircraft at the event,” he said.

    Sirika explained that the government would step in to cover the funding gap at the onset and ease out thereafter.

    He said the government would not get involved in the management of the national carrier.

    He said Nigeria’s population of over 180 million people is huge enough to support aviation, adding that the airline would take advantage of Bilateral Air Service Agreement (BASA) that the country had with over 70 countries.

    According to him, it will also take advantage of the Africa Single Air Transport Market and will be the best player if the government gets it right.

    “But if we don’t, it will become a threat to us. But I believe we are on the right track.

    The minister also gave an assurance that the national carrier would not kill the domestic airlines operating in the country.

    The Director General of ICRC, Izuwah, said the presentation of the Certificate of Compliance was an official green light to proceed with the procurement process.

    He explained that the government would bring its contribution to kickstart the airline, adding that the amount of equity the partners would hold would determine government contribution.

    According to him, start up cost over the next three years is about $300 million, but pre-start-up is $8.8 million.

    “The rest of the investment will be equity injection which will happen in tranches because you do not need all the monies at once.

    External capital injection also depends on the profitability of the airline.

    “Though, you need that initial government financial to make it take off, but what is important is that the national carrier will be entirely private sector controlled.

    “There will be zero government interference. But if that happens, it invalidates the certificate and the entire process.

    “This is a bankable business, and the government will get a strategic partner who will invest in the national carrier and when we get through the bidding process, more facts will emerge.

    “The government will have to spend the pre-start up cost like the brand name, the office and other start up.

    “ It will be a world class airline with domestic, regional and international operations,” he said.

  • FEC okays N192.9 billion for roads, bridges 

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday approved N192.9 billion for roads and bridges in the country.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Shehuri, at the end of FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Shehuri was with the Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah and the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu.

    He said that FEC approved N5.9 billion for the construction of 16.7 kilometers Suleja-Chaaza-Banguru road and spur to Rafinsayin in Niger State.

    “It also provided for 15 meters of bridge construction,” he added.

    He went on “Another memo approved is the dualization of Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani road in Kwara and Niger states to CGC at the cost of N130 billion. The contract’s life span is 36 months.

    “The Council also approved construction of Ibi Bridge across River Benue connecting Taraba and Plateau states at the cost of N57 billion.” he stated

    Enelamah said that FEC also approved memo for effective implementation of project ‘Made in Nigeria’ for export.

    He said that it was aimed at developing world class export oriented special economic zones in the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

    “The plan is to begin the development of those economic zones across the six geopolitical zones as follows: Lagos, Katsina, Abia, Calabar, Kano.

    “In addition, the Council also approved pre-development work in develop of Green Field Special Economic Zone in Akwa  Ibom, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Gombe, Kwara, and Sokoto states with further roll out to other states in phase two.” he said

    He said that FEC approved payments to consultations totalling N2.655 billion for various projects that will be undertaken by different consultations that will lead to implementation of these zones.

    He added “This is for one set of consultants. The aggregate amount which includes another set is N3.172 billion for all the special economic zones

    “The total budget for developing these zones will be in excess N250 billion and it will include partners.This is going to be done through something called The Nigerian Special Economic Zones Company Limited, which is a public private partnership.

    “The Federal Government is going to own 20 percent of that company and AFRIEXIM bank is going to be a shareholder and other investors like the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority and other international investors. It is going to be developed in such a way that it will be world class. We are going to see rapid implementation now that council approval has been obtained,” he said.

    He said that his Ministry also got approvals for two specific things including strict compliance with the provisions of Executive Order 001 and that all Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to respond to complains within 72 hours timeline on government portal.

    On the Brookings report that Nigeria has already overtaken India as the country with the largest number of extreme poor in early 2018, Enelamah said “I think first, we need to understand when we get these reports that there are reports that are lagging in indicators which means, people are reporting on history. There are reports that are leading indicators which means that they are forward looking and of course, there reports that capture generally what you do which is current. They are actually dealing with what is current. So, when you get reports from Brooking institutes or all sorts of people, you need to look at the context.

    “Somebody may have written a report when we were in recession. Remember that if you are in a recession, what it means is that even though, your population is growing, people don’t stop procreating, your growth fact, which means that in theory depending on how they run those numbers, you will be going the other way.

    “There is absolutely no question that there an urgency to create employment in Nigeria. And it has to be a collective responsibility. What I can tell you, with certainty based on ones background in business and economics, is that if we complete the things on infrastructure and you implement these reports we are doing, that is what I mean by a leading indicator, poverty will go down.

    “There is no magic to it. But you have to do it first, you have put in the infrastructure, you have to implement the economic programme which is what will create the opportunities, they don’t drop from the sky. So, I think we should roll up our sleeves as a people and do the work because, if we don’t do it, our people continue to bear children obviously, they would get poorer.

    “So, I don’t think we should kill ourselves that poverty is something just happen. I think comes out of the urgent need we have as a country which is why we are focusing as a government to make sure that we create the enabling environment, the infrastructure that and the things that are required to create opportunities for our people and I believe that will happen in the process of time,” he said.

    Sirika said that Council approved N993 million to build simulator house for the point 373 simulator already procured in Zaria.

    According to him, the Council also noted the seasonal rain prediction report by NIMET towards giving accurate rainfall across the country.

    Garba Shehu disclosed that the Minister of Education got one approval for JAMB.

    He said “JAMB had run computer-based tests for people who seek admissions into universities in order to stop leakages and all that. They have started to set up their infrastructures for conducting those examinations.

    “Today, they requested for government to buy one of the Computer Based Test (CBT) organizations at N133 million including infrastructure and equipment.

    “The effort is that JAMB wants to take total control of all these examinations in order to avoid leakages,” he stated.

    He also disclosed that the Council approved N353 million for the procurement of 32 meter turntable ladder to fight fire up-to 12 floors in the FCT

     

  • FG will attract direct investment to aviation sector – Minister

    The Minister of State, Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said on Thursday the Federal Government was committed to attract increased trade and inflow of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into Nigerian aviation sector.

    Sirika stated this during the Fourth Aviation Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja.

    He said increased trade and FDI would help to maximise the contribution of the sector to the development of the Nigerian economy.

    Sirika said government remain committed to making air transportation the preferred and safest means of transportation and creating a self-sustaining business model to drive socio-economic growth in Nigeria.

    The minister said the vision of the government for the industry was to develop a hub to take full advantage of Nigeria’s potentials in aviation.

    He added government was also ready to provide the requisite capacity and manpower, especially aviation business managers and scientists to engage in research and development.

    NAN

  • FG promises to pay Nigeria Airways pensioners soon

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has promised to ensure the payment of the N45billion entitlements of ex-workers of the defunct Nigeria Airways Limited.

    The minister blamed the delay in payment of the entitlements to non-approval by the Senate.

    He urged the pensioners to be patient, noting that Senate promised to approve the payment after the Easter break.

    He said the payment would be done within two weeks after the Senate approval.

    Sirika spoke during the 4th Aviation Stakeholders Forum held on Thursday in Abuja.

    Labour Unions in the aviation industry had threatened to ground flight operations all over the country to draw government’s attention to the plight of ex –Airways workers.

     

  • Ex- Nigeria Airways pensioners protest delay in payment of severance benefits

    Ex- Nigeria Airways pensioners protest delay in payment of severance benefits

    …Passengers miss flight over traffic disruption

    Former workers and pensioners of liquidated national carrier –  Nigeria Airways Limited on Tuesday staged a protest at the Lagos Airport over the delay by the Ministry of Finance in paying their N45 billion severance benefit.

    The former workers and pensioners numbering over one hundred blocked the busy Airport Road disrupting vehicular traffic.

    They marched from the Skypower Catering Company premises, one of the subsidiaries of the liquidated former carrier opposite the Nigeria Air Force Base to the section of the road leading into the General Aviation Terminal (GAT).

    Singing solidarity songs they carried placards with inscriptions conveying their plight.

    Policemen attached to the airport were on hand to prevent break down of law and order.

    The blockage of the road, forced many passengers to get on motor bikes otherwise known as Okada , so avoid missing their flight.

    The ex – workers said they were disappointed that despite approval by the Federal Executive Council, seven months ago, the Ministry of Finance is yet to release their money.

    The ex-staff carried placards with different inscriptions principally targeted at the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun whom they accused of being insensitive to their plight for refusing to release their entitlements.

    The placards read: ” Mrs Kemi Adeosun: Do not delay this payment further, It is a crime against humanity, Madam MOF: Did you misappropriate our pension money?, Kemi Adeosun, We demand immediate payment of our pensions, Mrs. Adeosun: Enough of the Rigmarole- pay us Now, Mrs. Adeosun: Your actions and inactions are man’s inhumanity to man and so on. They also chanted solidarity songs and echoing the name of the minister at intervals.

    Chairman, Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Nigeria Airways Branch, Comrade Sam Nzene said the protest became necessary as he alleged that the Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun was playing politics with their money.

    He explained that last year after the approval for payment was given, they were told that the ministry was ready to pay but were being delayed by the National Assembly as they were waiting for them to give the go ahead.

    Comrade Nzene added that to their surprise after a visit and discussions with the National Assembly, it was the Ministry that was dilly dally on the matter.

    “This is the third protest, we have been doing this since last year, even on December 19, last year, there was a protest in the Ministry of Finance when we shut down the place for  five hours and at the end of the day, they were called into a meeting and told that the National Assembly was holding our payment. This is the seventh month now after the FEC approved this payment”

    “Well, we went to National Assembly, we wrote to the senate president, we were told that there was nothing of the Nigeria Airways in the National Assembly that they have approved the money government sent to them for settlement of debts owed to civil servants and pensioners and contractors that these monies have been approved and released”.

    Comrade Nzene said many of their members have died while waiting for their pay package, adding early this year three of their members died.

    Also speaking, president, Aviation Union Grand Alliance, Comrade Lookman  Animashaun said they were tired of the bulk passing and insisted that the Minister of Finance should tell them why the payment was delaying.

    He noted that army pensioners have started collecting their benefits from the N2.7 trillion approved by the FEC and asked what was  delaying the payment of N45 billion accruing to them.

    “They are paying the salary arrears of army pensioners and contractors, were did they get money to pay those two, they should let us know, so to us, nothing is in the National Assembly because we have combed everywhere in the National Assembly, we have gone to the clerk, senate committee on aviation, appropriation, on pensioners, they said there was nothing like that and whatever they need to approve, they have done and that is why they are paying the other two components, the minister should come out and tell what the position is”.

    Three of the protesting staff collapsed during the protest and were immediately revived and taken away.

    Some families members of the ex-staff whose father/mother have died came clad in black clothes to show their support for the protest.

    Some of the placards read: ‘Adeosun: Enough of the rigmarole, pay us Now’, Mrs. Adeosun: Your actions and inactions are man’s inhumanity to man’, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun: Do not delay this payment further; it is a crime against humanity’, ‘Kemi Adeosun, we demand immediate payment of our pensions’ etc.

    However, he said findings showed that it was the ministry that is withholding the payment.

    It would be recalled that in September 2017, the minister of state for aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika announced the approval of N45 billion severance package for the Nigeria Airways workers.

    Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday, September 20 after the weekly federal executive council meeting, Sirika said the minister of finance, Adeosun, had been instructed to put the machinery in place for payment of the workers.

    “I’m happy to announce that Mr. President has approved N45 billion which has been confirmed to be the entitlements of these workers and Ministry of Finance has been instructed to pay the money. The ministry wrote…that they have received the instruction to pay these workers, and therefore, they are setting up the modalities to pay.

    “You should know it won’t be paid through my ministry before somebody will say I take some of it. It will be paid by the ministry of finance through a process, and that process will commence very soon,’’ he said.

  • Private national carrier coming – Minister

    Private national carrier coming – Minister

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, said on Monday Nigeria would soon have a full private sector-driven national carrier.

    He made the remark while addressing journalists in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on the sidelines of 30th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union.

    Stressing that the government would provide enabling environment and support for the initiative, Sirika said the country would take advantage of the Single Air Transport Market launched by the AU on Monday.

    Apart from Nigerian entrepreneurs, the minister said the African Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the Chinese Exim Bank as well as countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco, Egypt, Rwanda, Namibia and Niger Republic would participate in the initiative.

    “We are very close to having a national carrier at the moment. We are at the stage of transaction services. We have affiliations which will be dealt with. I hope within this week, you will hear from me on where we are. It will be soon.

    “We have been having alliances, discussions and co-operations regarding establishment of a national carrier in Nigeria. It is going to be full private sector driven. And if that happens, the government will provide enabling environment and support. And once that is done, Nigeria is on its way to greatness. Most importantly, the prices of tickets and the efficiency of service will be much better.

    “Apart from entrepreneurs within Nigeria, institutions like African Development Bank have written to us that they are willing to support and partner with us to drive this process. Others are the Islamic Development Bank and the Exim Bank.

    “Countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Morocco and Egypt have been coming around to try to participate and partner with us. And lately, Rwanda, Namibia and Niger Republic joined the aforementioned nations. We are getting there soon,” Sirika said.

  • ICRC moves to resolve concession disputes between FAAN, MMA2

    ICRC moves to resolve concession disputes between FAAN, MMA2

    The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission ( ICRC ) said on Monday that it will deploy everything within its ability to ensure the concession dispute between the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN ) and Bi-Courtney Aviation Services is resolved.
    The Commission, which is saddled with the responsibility of monitoring and ensuring the efficient execution of all A Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects entered  into by MDAs on behalf of the Federal Government said it has continued to engage Hadi Sirika, the Minister of State on Aviation since his  assumption of office on these challenges and believe they will be resolved soon enough in order to strengthen the relationship between the parties.
    Recall that the MMA2 and the Hotel and Conference Centre concessions awarded to Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited as a PPP project for the design, engineering, procurement, construction, completion, commissioning, operations and transfer has been  experiencing  several challenges.
    The terminal which took off in 2007 was given out in concession by FAAN, as representative of the federal government on Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis, but while BASL insists that the concession agreement was for 36 years and that the General Aviation Terminal (GAT) belongs to the company in cognizance of the agreement, FAAN insists that it did not endorse 36 years for the concession but 12 years and that GAT was not part of the agreement.
    Speaking during a visit by the commission to MMA2, yesterday, Chidi Izuwah, acting Director General ICRC said he was aware of the challenges between the both parties adding that “We want to listen to both parties as an independent regulator, we want to physically access the situation and challenges on ground in order to Bette appreciate the positions by FAAN and Bi-Courtney and thereafter suggest possible line of action in resolving these issues.
    “We are interested in having an update from the parties on the performance of the related projects; we want to understand the challenges facing the operators, as well as the grantor of the contracts and the various steps taken towards resolving these challenges; we want to hear from the parties their requests to the government in ensuring the projects are efficiently implemented for the overall benefits to the government.”
    Also speaking during the visit, Wale Babalakin, Chairman , Bi-Courtney Aviation Services said if Nigeria intends to encourage private sector participation in the infrastructural development of the country it must abide by international regulations; government and its agencies must respect and abide by concession agreements.
    Babalakin denied the allegation that it was Bi-Courtney that drafted the concession agreement and also noted that the company was not the winner of the concession, but Royal Standerton, which was the preferred bidder; however, Bi-Courtney inherited the concession when the later could not meet the pace of work expected by the federal government.
    Also speaking on behalf of FAAN, Monica Alphonse, the Deputy General Manager, Public Private Partnership, said that GAT has never been part of the concession agreement and that the monopoly status that stated that no other airport terminal should be developed during the course of the concession period by BASL may have taken cognizance of the fact that the concession was for 12 years.
    Alphonse described such clauses that gave BASL such advantage as antitrust and pro-monopoly, adding that the agreement should have been renegotiated if the concession was designed for 36 years and noted, that “such agreement is repugnant to natural justice.”
    She said that FAAN was willing to ensure that the problem between it and BASL over the concession was resolved. BASL officials also spoke in the same vein.
  • National carrier will be private sector driven – Sirika

    National carrier will be private sector driven – Sirika

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, says the proposed national carrier will be private sector driven.

    He said that would avoid the mistakes that led to the failure of the defunct Nigerian Airways.

    Sirika stated this on the sideline of the ongoing International Civil Aviation Organisation World Aviation Forum on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The theme of the forum is “Financing the Development of Aviation Infrastructure.”

    He said that stakeholders had agreed on a Public Private Partnership ( PPP ) arrangement for the new national carrier.

    The minister explained the Federal Government was following Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission ( ICRC ) guidelines to ensure that due processes in the arrangement.

    According to him, government has appointed the Transaction Advisers to work out modalities for the carrier.

    He said that government intended to go into alliances or joint ventures with other aircraft manufacturers to increase the reach and number of routes of the national carrier.

    Sirika added that the planned improvement of airport and air navigation infrastructure would support the expected growth from activities of the new carrier.

    “The question of national carrier, we all have agreement that this national carrier can only survive and succeed if it is private sector led and driven.

    “Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Nigeria are guided by act of parliament which is the ICRC Act 2007 that spelt out how to go about doing all these things.

    “We will be following them diligently. But unfortunately, it is cumbersome but we are following it so that we don’t run afoul of the law.

    “African Development Bank and other companies are discussing with us on this matter.

    “We are yet to meet with other stakeholders but we expect to meet them during this conference and after then, we will go and do our road shows.

    “The key thing here is having something that will stand the test of time so that we don’t start and falter.

    “It has happened to Nigeria before. The Air Nigeria was founded and at some point, it died because of something that was faulty.

    “We have learnt our lessons and we are not going to repeat it again,” he said.

    Sirika admitted that one of the major challenges of air transportation in Africa was high taxes.

    He said that the issue of high taxes would be discussed as a critical factor to encourage investors.

    “The lower the tax, the more flights in and the more flights in, the more passengers, more jobs, more revenue and that is within our master plan.’’

    NAN

  • Nigeria to host ICAO World Aviation Forum

    Nigeria to host ICAO World Aviation Forum

    Nigeria is set to become the first country to host the International Civil Aviation Organisation ( ICAO ), World Aviation Forum ( IWAF ), scheduled to hold from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22 in Abuja.

    Mr Ariyo Akinfewa, media consultant to the Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, on Friday in Lagos, said that although this was the third edition, it was, however, the first time it was being hosted outside the ICAO’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada.

    Akinfewa in a statement said this year’s edition was a special forum because the global aviation communities would converge in Nigeria to deliberate on the theme: “Financing the Development of Aviation Infrastructure.”

    “The country is more than delighted to play host to this all-important forum as the first country in the world to do so.

    “This is a rare opportunity for Nigeria being the first time the forum is being held outside Montreal and we are more than delighted to host it,” the Minister was quoted as saying.

    Similarly, ICAO in a publication on its website said the forum would explore how development of aviation infrastructure plays a key role in the achievement of the visionary United Nation’s Agenda 2030 and African Union Agenda 2063 prosperity objectives.

    According to ICAO, there will also be a special focus on funding and financing of airport, air navigation, and other aviation infrastructure projects.

    It said the forum would also stress the importance of aligning policies and planning for air transport with the national development planning.

    “This high-level event directly supports the ICAO ‘No Country Left Behind initiative’ and will be of key interest to Ministers and other senior government officials responsible for civil aviation, transport, infrastructure, finance, and tourism, as well as key industry and financial partners.

    “During the event, a day will be dedicated fully to Africa aviation development financing.

    “The second day of the forum will focus specifically on financing challenges facing aviation infrastructure and capacity development in Africa,” it said. NAN