By Destiny Obinna
Nigeria and India are considering a partnership to strengthen aviation training, technical cooperation and skills transfer, following a meeting between the Indian High Commissioner, Abhishek Singh, and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, in Abuja.
Singh, who described Nigeria’s airports as performing very well, said the country had enormous potential in the aviation industry, identifying six or seven areas where both countries could work together.
The meeting took place during a courtesy visit to Keyamo at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, where the minister directed the setting up of a technical team to work out the details of the proposed partnership.
In a statement, the Special Adviser on Media and Communications to the minister, Tunde Moshood, said Singh also expressed interest in having Keyamo visit India.
He added that India’s Minister of Civil Aviation was equally interested in visiting Nigeria.
On capacity building, the Indian envoy said his country was ready to expand its training programme in Nigeria, which currently benefits more than 250 Nigerians annually.
He described Nigeria as a great country and said India held it in high regard.
Responding, Keyamo thanked the High Commissioner for the visit and welcomed the proposals, saying India’s experience in aviation, particularly in training and capacity building, could provide useful lessons for Nigeria.
The minister said the partnership aligned with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the aviation and aerospace sector.
He said the ministry was committed to strengthening bilateral relations in ways that would improve aviation infrastructure and give Nigerian professionals access to the skills and experience needed to compete internationally.
Keyamo identified training, capacity building and knowledge transfer as priority areas, stressing that the proposed partnership should equip Nigerian engineers, pilots, air traffic controllers and other aviation professionals with the expertise needed to develop the sector
