The Director General, Civil Aviation, DGCA, Captain Chris Najomo, has praised the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for its continued commitment to improving aeronautical meteorological services across Africa.
Speaking at the Sixth Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Cooperative Development of Aeronautical Meteorological Services for the AFI Region (CODEVMET-AFI) held in Abuja, Captain Najomo described the initiative as a crucial step toward resolving long-standing air navigation challenges in the meteorological sector across Africa and the Indian Ocean region.
Captain Najomo represented by the Director, Aerodrome and Airspace Standards, Mr. Godwin Balang, explained that the CODEVMET-AFI programme was established to enhance the capacity of civil aviation authorities in safety oversight and ensure that meteorological service providers comply with ICAO’s global aviation safety standards.
Nigeria, he noted, is among the nine African countries that initiated the project in 2017 after ICAO’s assessment of meteorological infrastructure in the region revealed the need for stronger collaboration.
The NCAA boss emphasized that the project aims to ensure the provision of accurate and reliable weather information for aviation operations while strengthening regulatory oversight in participating member states.
He also highlighted ICAO’s 2020 evaluation, which affirmed CODEVMET’s alignment with member states’ priorities and the Global Air Navigation Plan.
Commending ICAO for sustaining the project’s momentum, Captain Najomo, expressed optimism that it would continue to enhance the quality and reliability of aeronautical meteorological services across the AFI region.
He said the ongoing meeting would assess progress, address implementation challenges, and chart new strategies for improving cooperation among states and organizations in tackling air navigation gaps in the meteorological field.
Reporting By Nosa Aituamen