The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has designated the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Training School as ICAO Aviation Security Training Centre (ASTC) and pledged to support it to train manpower for the aviation industry.
ICAO regional director, Mr. Mam Sait Jallow, stated this in Lagos at the recent launch and presentation of certificate of recognition to ASTC FAAN in Lagos.
He said one of the main pillars of ICAO’s aviation training policy is the recognition of training organisations which, according to him, “is done through ICAO’s successful field assessments of potential training organisations based on ICAO guidelines for aviation security training activities.”
Jallow acknowledged Nigerian government’s unwavering support and the significant efforts made by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), FAAN and its management and technical staff of the training centre which resulted in the recognition of the training centre as ASTC.
“ICAO office is happy with this accomplishment, which contributes to enhancing training capacity in Africa by implementing the objectives of the Windhoek Declaration on Aviation and Facilitation in Africa, which are aligned with the ICAO Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP).
“The certificate of recognition issued by ICAO to the ASTC of Nigeria means that it has been duly demonstrated the centre meets the general and specific requirements in this respect and that is able to continue to meet such requirements during the period of validity of the certificate of recognition.
“Maintaining the certificate there requires all the stakeholders to redouble their efforts through the implementation of a coherent and comprehensive monitoring programme.
“I can assure you that ICAO remains at your disposal to continue supporting Nigeria in her efforts to establish a safe and secure air transport system fully playing its role of supporting national socio-economic development,” said Jallow.
He said with the recognition of the ASTC of Nigeria, the network of ASTCs had grown to 35 centres wisely distributed in all the ICAO regions to provide security training at international, regional and national levels to all categories of personnel involved or responsible for the implementation of security measures, policies, and procedures in accordance with its strategic objectives to improve the level of implementation of Annex 17 Standards.
He said recognised ASTCs are required to comply with the requirements established by ICAO to maintain their recognition.
“This involves establishing and maintaining communication and coordination with ICAO headquarters, regional offices and regional aviation security experts on all matters related to international training activities. They must also develop and implement an active annual training programme for global and national participants,” he said.
In his remarks, the director general of NCAA, Capt. Muhtar Usman, expressed appreciation to ICAO for the endorsement of the school after a successful which proved that the FAAN Aviation Training School was ready to contribute to the ICAO global AVSEC training.
He recalled that the request for the designation of FAAN EVSEC Training School as an ICAO-accredited ASTC was made on June 18, 2017, after which an evaluation by ICAO was conducted in May 2018 by the regional security officer for the Western and Central African Office (WACAF) and under 24 months the request was granted.
He said the reason for the request for an ASTC was purely for the provision of AVSEC training courses to cater for the English-speaking states in the West African sub-region.
He stated that Nigeria has five certified ICAO AVSEC instructors who can be of service at ASTC.
Usman expressed the hope that the designation of the school as an ICAO ASTC would attract patronage from the airport communities of the West African sub-region and its environs thereby contributing to the development and improvement of AVSEC training in the region and elsewhere.
Also speaking, the managing director of FAAN, Mr. Saleh Dunoma expressed happiness that “this school is certified by ICAO as a training centre for the West and Central African sub-regions.”
“It is not only for FAAN staff; it is also for the region, West and Central African sub-regions. Prior to this time, the school was being used as our internal training facility; internal in the sense that there were programmes organised in order to train our staff not only in aviation security but also other departments enjoyed the facility. But today, the school has moved a step ahead by becoming a centre of excellence for aviation training,” said Dunoma.
He added that the cost of training would be cheaper for “our people” and “our neighbouring countries” who would not have to go overseas for their training needs.
“The big advantage is that we will train our people in large numbers at cheaper cost. Other people, who hitherto these course were provided maybe in Canada, Singapore and other places, will be provided here. So, we can sponsor as many people as possible. And also from our neighbouring countries, people from West and Central Africa can come here. It is cheaper for them to come here,” said Dunoma.
