The Aviation Safety Roundtable Initiative (ART), on Wednesday, recommended the creation of a local content board, among others, to address challenges in the aviation industry.

This is according to a 13-point resolution reached at the 2024 Q1 business breakfast meeting hosted by ART in Lagos.

The theme of the meeting was: “Manpower Strategy Training, Succession and Human Capital Development in the Nigerian Aviation Sector.”

In the communique released by the local organising committee of the meeting, it was resolved that there was need for a robust management plan through scalable skills acquisition, as well as technical, operational, and soft skills.

The group also agreed to encourage employees to adapt to new situations and deliver a winning customer experience across Nigeria’s aviation industry.

It said that the aviation sector deserved the Local Content Development Board as applicable in the other important sectors such as in the oil and gas industry.

This, the group said, would address the local content issues in the recruitment of aviation professionals.

It also called for an inter-agency/inter- ministerial ad-hoc body comprising the ministry of interior, Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace Development.

It agreed to collaborate and ensure proper monitoring and compliance with local content law on expatriate quotas and the excessive use of foreign personnel to fill manpower gaps in the aviation sector.

The ART, in the communique, called for an immediate review of merger of the Licensing Directorate with Flight Operations at the NCAA.

It said this was in the interest of safety and in conformity with global best practices as recommended by International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

The group also recommended that NCAA and industry stakeholders look to resourcing and recruiting young professionals with the requisite education and training in aviation.

“This approach as suggested, will address the discouraging experience where individuals have been trained and found no jobs.

“Participants at the meeting also resolved that the mass exodus of aviation professionals out of Nigerian airlines, agencies and others is not a total depletion or loss for Nigeria,” the communique read in part.

The group also expressed concern about the astronomical cost of ab initio training across the industry, saying it had gone beyond the capacity of ordinary citizens to fund.

It said this was unlike what was obtainable in the past when there was a substantial amount of scholarships in the industry.

The ART, therefore, called for the establishment of scholarship schemes from states, public and private organisations for funding the training of a significant number of young people.

It said this would also provide for the continuous training and upgrade of professionals in the industry.

Other resolutions reached include the urgent need to declare a state of emergency in training airport fire personnel, air traffic controllers, and engineers, among others.

It said that the ministry of aviation should accord highest priority to the expansion of the capacity of the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, to deliver more diversified professionals and extend its mandate to assist in the job placements of its graduates.

The group called for a closer collaboration between the NCAA and the Nigeria Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) for the enhancement of safety in the industry.

Also, it suggested that the budding African Aviation and Aerospace University should be merged with NCAT to save costs and improve the efficient delivery of quality education and professionals.

Aviation agencies, associations and other stakeholders were represented at the meeting.

(NAN)