President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to declared open the annual World Aviation Forum by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in Abuja, Nigeria, the first country to host the Forum outside the Organization’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada.
A statement from the office of the minister of state for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, said that the Forum will hold from today, November 20 to Wednesday, November 22.
He said that the hosting of the Forum underscores Nigeria’s rising profile within the aviation world.
“The hosting of the ICAO World Aviation Forum by Nigeria, coming so soon after it hosted the ICAO Symposium on Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) is a clear indication of the confidence the Buhari Administration has gathered within the sector and an endorsement by the world body of its reform programmes for the nation’s aviation industry.
“The third ICAO World Aviation Forum, which is intended to explore the benefits of the aviation sector to social, economic development and prosperity of member states, is aimed at top-ranking government officials in charge of aviation, transport and infrastructure, finance, economy and tourism as well as key industry and financial partners.”
The statement said that participants at the Forum would discuss, identify needs, and facilitate the funding and financing required to accelerate the implementation of international civil aviation standards and policies, as well as global plans for aviation, in support of the ICAO’s No Country Left Behind (NCLB) initiave.
It listed the objectives of the Forum to include the establishment and alignment of infrastructure programmes and plans that are consistent with the ICAO global strategic plans for aviation like the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP) and the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP); to stimulate common and inter-operable air transport systems leading to the attainment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Hadi Sirika said that the Forum would build on the outcomes of the two previous ICAO World Aviation Forums (IWAF/1 and IWAF/2) held in November 2015 and September 2016 respectively, and, in the spirit of the No Country Left Behind initiative, tackle the existing and future financing challenges facing aviation infrastructure and capacity development in member states, especially in Africa.
Sirika assured all participants at Forum of the usual hospitality of the government and people of Nigeria, saying the nation appreciates the honour and privilege of being the first country to host the Forum. He also appeals to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for continuous support for Nigeria’s drive to reposition its aviation sector.
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