Ime Akpan
The director general of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt Chris Najomo, has inaugurated six technical working groups (TWGs) to guide Nigeria’s sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) development across policy, feed-stock, infrastructure, finance, sustainability, and technology.
The groups are policy and regulation, feed-stock and production, funding and investment, technology and innovation, environmental and social impact, and infrastructure and logistics.
They were set up during the Regional Workshop on Financing Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF)’ held under the theme ‘Access to Finance for SAF Production.’
Najomo who was represented at the event by NCAA’s regional manager in Lagos, Mrs Bukola Teriba stressed the critical importance of access to finance for SAF production projects as well as its importance in reducing the environmental impact of aviation, which aligns with ICAO’s Long-Term Aspirational Goal (LTAG) on net zero carbon emission by 2050.
The workshop aimed at addressing investment challenges and developing a domestic roadmap for SAF production.
The engagement marked a major step in Nigeria’s transition towards the development of SAFs.
The key objectives of the hybrid workshop tagged ACT-SAF EU – African Indian Project (Part II) confronter the realities from SAF Project Developers and Financiers; discussed different de-risking strategies and the role of all actors in achieving viable SAF production in Africa.
Others included enhancing the understanding of SAF Direct Supply Line and its (financial) assessment tools; share the best practices in financial practices; identifying and mapping key stakeholders in the finance space; and discussed available financial instruments in support of SAF development.
The workshop brought together stakeholders from 14 African countries, including representatives of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC), EU delegations to Nigeria and WACAF, other international organisations, industry stakeholders and partners as well as project developers to address investment challenges, risk mitigation and project bankability on SAF.
The event was organised by the NCAA in collaboration with the National Council on Climate Change Secretariat (NCCCS) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) under the Assistance, Capacity Building and Training for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (ACT-SAF) Africa–India Project.
The workshop was coordinated by the Directorate of Air Transport Regulations of the NCAA.
