Najomo Reaffirms Nigeria’s Commitment to Advancing Aeronautical Met Services in Africa

…Commends ICAO’s Efforts at Strengthening Aviation Safety Standards Across AFI Region

The Director General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has reaffirmed Nigeria’s commitment to the development of aeronautical meteorological services across the African and Indian Ocean (AFI) region, describing the initiative as a vital step towards enhancing aviation safety, operational efficiency, and regulatory compliance among member states.

He stated this while delivering a keynote address at the Sixth Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Project for the Cooperative Development of Aeronautical Meteorological Services for the AFI Region (CODEVMET-AFI), held in Abuja, Nigeria, from 6th to 8th October 2025.

In his address, the NCAA Director General extended a warm welcome to participants and lauded the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for its sustained efforts in coordinating the CODEVMET-AFI initiative, which he said continues to play a pivotal role in addressing long-standing deficiencies in the field of aeronautical meteorology across African states.

“The Cooperative Development of Aeronautical Meteorology in Africa-Indian Ocean Region Programme (CODEVMET-AFI) was designed to address long-time critical air navigation deficiencies in the meteorological field within AFI member states,” he said.

“The Programme focuses on two main objectives – enhancing the capabilities of State Civil Aviation Authorities (CAAs) in carrying out safety oversight in the MET field, and establishing a mechanism that enables MET service providers to comply with ICAO’s aviation safety standards,” he added.

The NCAA Chief recalled that Nigeria was among the nine African countries that initiated the CODEVMET project, following a request made to ICAO to assess the level of implementation of meteorological infrastructure and services across the region.

The recommendations from that assessment, he noted, resulted in the establishment of a structured framework to assist member states in overcoming deficiencies in air navigation within the MET domain.

“Nigeria joined the CODEVMET Project in February 2017,” he said, adding that the country remains actively engaged in ensuring that aeronautical meteorological service providers comply with international standards through the provision of timely, reliable, and accurate meteorological information to aviation users.

According to him, the project also seeks to strengthen the capacity of national regulatory authorities to perform safety oversight through the adoption of a comprehensive, system-based approach.

Highlighting the success of the initiative, the NCAA DG referred to an evaluation conducted by ICAO in 2020, which confirmed that the CODEVMET Project was highly relevant to member states’ priorities as well as to the Global Air Navigation Plan (GANP).

He said, “CODEVMET addresses the AFI Regional priorities of safety and operational integration while responding to the specific needs of member states. We are happy to note that the project continues to progress well, focusing on aligning national MET legislation with ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs), enhancing state capacities to comply with aviation meteorological requirements, and supporting the implementation of MET Quality Management Systems in support of Safety Management Systems (SMS).”

He further noted that the project has been instrumental in helping states implement the Aviation System Block Upgrades (ASBU) elements of the Aeronautical Meteorology (AMET) Thread, which are critical to modernising aviation systems in line with global best practices.

Commending ICAO for “dynamising” the project across the region, the NCAA boss expressed optimism that CODEVMET-AFI would continue to play a key role in enhancing the quality of aeronautical meteorological services across the AFI Region.

“The Sixth Meeting of the Steering Committee will review the progress made so far, discuss challenges encountered in project implementation, and identify strategies to address air navigation deficiencies within the meteorological field,” he stated.

While declaring the meeting open, he encouraged participants to engage in fruitful deliberations that would further strengthen regional cooperation and promote aviation safety across Africa and the Indian Ocean region.

“I wish you successful deliberations,” he concluded, “and I trust that your discussions will further consolidate our collective efforts towards achieving excellence in aeronautical meteorological services.”