The Nigeria Civil Aviation Agency has expressed optimism of securing a higher Effective Implementation (EI) score as the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) commenced audit of Nigeria’s Aviation Safety

The audit is a follow up to the ICAO Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) audit conducted from August to September 2023, in which Nigeria recorded an Effective Implementation (EI) score of 70.12 Percent.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of ICAO Coordinated Validation Mission (ICVM), NCAA Director General Captain Chris Najomo said the Authority have remained resolute and steadfast in its commitment to improving the safety oversight capabilities.

He stated that when the last audit finding result came out, the authority took it in good faith and began to conduct the root cause analysis and promptly developed a comprehensive Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) to address identified deficiencies

Captain Najomo stated that through the implementation of the CAPs, they actualised the deployment of Effective Participation of Member States in ICAO(EPMIC) as the regulatory software for the Authority, specifically in the automation of personnel licensing and aeromedical processes.

He said during this period, the NCAA entered into an agreement with NorthWest Data Solution for the deployment of the SMS Pro software as the digital software to entrench the centralization and digitalization of the safety data reporting and management system, ensuring compliance with the ICAO Annex 19 requirements on a Safety Data Collection and Processing System (SDCPS).

In fulfilling their responsibility under ICAO Critical Element 4 on qualified technical personnel he said about 100 flight operations and airworthiness inspectors underwent training on special authorization procedures at an European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA-approved training institution in Comiso, Italy and another training organization in Dubai, UAE.

In furtherance to this, the DG disclosed that some inspectors are currently undergoing On-the-Job Training (OJT), coordinated under an MoU with the Rwandan Civil Aviation Authority to qualify these inspectors on specialized authorisations in addition to the regular annual training plans that are developed and implemented specially for NCAA’s aviation safety inspectors.

He further emphasized that Nigeria is not subjecting herself to the audits and validation missions merely for the sake of improving the numerical E.I score but to institutionalise a resilient safety oversight system that fosters continuous improvement in safety performance, in line with the Federal Government policy on strict adherence to international safety regulations to elevate Nigeria’s ICAO rating.

The ICAO team lead Jerome Patoureaux in his remarks said the (ICAO) mission in Nigeria is assessing the country’s aviation safety oversight through a three-phase process: preparation, on-site evaluation, and reporting.
He said auditors are reviewing Nigeria’s compliance with key safety standards, including legal frameworks, personnel capacity, and enforcement systems.

The mission also seeks to identify any Significant Safety Concerns (SSCs) requiring urgent action.and findings will be finalized in a report after evidence submission and a closing meeting.